Workforce
EPA Unilaterally Imposes New Union Contract Slashing Telework, Easing Firing
Labor group plans a legal fight against the decision.
Management
Federal Staffing Problems Are Inextricably Linked to Pay Problems
When workforce issues impede an agency’s service to the public, it’s more than a line in the budget.
Oversight
Play of the Day: The First 2020 Debate Night Is Here
Important questions will be asked, such as "who are you, exactly?"
Route Fifty
‘There Are No Yachts in Falls Church’: Debate Over State and Local Tax Deduction Flares
GOP House members say Democrats’ claim that eliminating the deduction has hurt ordinary taxpayers is a “false narrative.”
Pay & Benefits
After Dramatic Workforce Reductions, Postal Service Sees Spike in Overtime Hours
Faulty scheduling and fewer employees led to overtime uptick, IG says, in spite of mail volume decline.
Nextgov
Artificial Intelligence is Too Dumb to Fully Police Online Extremism, Experts Say
Algorithms excel at routine tasks, but understanding a post’s context requires a human touch, former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos told lawmakers.
Management
'People Are Crying When They Come Into Work:' Unions Protest OPM-GSA Merger
Lawmakers said they will try to amend an appropriations bill to block the acting OPM director from following through on her threat to lay off 150 agency employees.
Management
‘Children Were Dirty, They Were Scared, and They Were Hungry’
An immigration attorney describes what she witnessed at the border.
Insights
Architecting IT for the Mission and Business Needs of the Future: Lessons Learned from the First Five Years of FITARA Implementation
To understand the key facilitators and obstacles to successful IT oversight and implementation, Government Business Council (GBC) interviewed federal IT leaders on their thoughts on FITARA’s effectiveness thus far, as well as ongoing IT initiatives, priorities, and challenges.
Workforce
VA Whistleblowers Tell Congress Retaliation Is Still Rampant
One VA employee received a proposed firing notice just one day prior to testifying.
Nextgov
Pentagon Targets August for JEDI Award
The Defense Department is making its source selection “disconnected” from Oracle’s pending court case.
Insights
Government Executive June 2019 Poll: Metro Closures Threaten Majority of Federal Employees
In light of scheduled closures to the Washington Metro, are federal agencies granting employees flexibility to telework? Government Business Council / GovExec.com polled more than 400 federal employees to find out.
Oversight
Trump Withdraws Nominee to Lead Publishing Office
Former public printer and Hill staffer had spent a year in limbo.
Defense
Trump Keeps Talking About the Last Military Standoff With Iran — Here’s What Really Happened
In 2016, 10 sailors were captured by Iran. Trump is making it a political issue. Our investigation shows that it was a Navy failure, and the problems run deep.
Oversight
Play of the Day: The Military Was 'Cocked and Loaded'
The president made upa new phrase to describe potential U.S. strikes against Iran.
Route Fifty
Disputes Over State Taxes on Train Fuel Won't Go Before Supreme Court
A federal law has led to years of messy litigation over levies on locomotive diesel.
Oversight
Appeals Court Overrules Federal Labor Relations Authority on 15-Year-Long Union Dispute
A three-judge panel found that a Trump FRLA decision was not supported by the evidence.
Pay & Benefits
Federal Employees Suing OPM Score Win in Lawsuit Over Data Hacks
Appeals court overrules district-level finding, says federal employee unions have standing to sue.
Pay & Benefits