Management
Lawmakers press VA to report on the delays in its burn pit registry revamp
An October 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said VA should “initiate a new phase” of its Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to make it “a user-friendly, efficient and effective resource.”
Oversight
Tax audits for some millionaires may be more effective than targeting a wider range, report finds
The TIGTA report compared a 2020 IRS directive that required annual audits on some individuals making more than $10 million to a wider income range, finding that the former yielded more assessments.
Workforce
The House’s DHS funding bill preserves TSA’s recent pay increases
Although lawmakers have yet to act on a bill to codify the Biden administration’s decision to provide Transportation Security Administration employees with Title 5 protections and compensation, Congress is poised to continue funding the initiative.
Management
USPS is failing to meet the financial returns promised in DeJoy’s 10-year plan
The Postal Service is seeing more revenue than it anticipated, but costs have soared.
Management
‘We’re flying blind’: CDC has 1 million bird flu tests ready, but experts see repeat of COVID missteps
Three months into the U.S. bird flu outbreak, only 45 people have been tested. Laboratories say their path forward has been slowed by miscommunication and uncertainty.
Tech
Education Department official says they are making fixes on the FAFSA at a 'rapid pace'
Though users faced glitches and technical errors after the Jan. 8 official debut for the 2024-25 federal student aid form, Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal cites progress and says they will "continue to try and make this process easier and faster for all students."
Defense
Pentagon background-check systems at risk of hacking, GAO says
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency didn’t fully implement DOD’s cybersecurity process, a new report finds.
Management
Senate bill aims to streamline how agencies respond to wildfires
Much like the workforce-focused wildfire bill introduced last week in the House, the EMBER Act draws its provisions from the recommendations of a recent bipartisan commission report.
Tech
Generative AI’s fleet-footed evolution is causing quandaries for federal acquisition
Government leaders and federal contractors said the rapid development of generative AI makes it difficult for agencies to determine what types of tools it needs.
Tech
Biden nominates a new director for the Defense Information Systems Agency
Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, who currently leads the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence, has been picked to replace Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner.
Management
Exit interview: OMB’s Customer Experience guru Amira Boland
Boland was the first to take on the role of customer experience lead at the White House, and she sees great potential even beyond her departure.
Management
Agencies spell out how climate change will affect their employees and what they’ll do to protect them
The Biden administration is looking to protect federal workers and agency missions in the fact of extreme weather.
Pay & Benefits
Biden’s 2% raise more likely upon advancement of Senate defense policy bill
The Senate Armed Services Committee last week advanced its version of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, endorsing a 2% average pay raise for civilian federal workers alongside a 4.5% increase for military service members.
News
Scientists argue over the origins of COVID-19 before Senate panel
Microbiology and biodefense experts continued to wrangle over whether COVID-19 emerged from a laboratory leak or was passed to humans through exposure from another animal.
Pay & Benefits
Your pre-retirement questions answered, part 2
The second in a series tackling your pressing questions.
Tech
House panel advances bill to study TSA’s embrace of digital IDs
Travelers from nine states can now use mobile driver’s licenses to verify their identities at 27 U.S. airports.
Workforce
Dems warn of agency furloughs, layoffs if spending caps are not lifted
FBI agents, meat inspectors and others could face job cuts under the current fiscal 2025 spending plan, Democrats say.
Workforce
‘Trailblazing’ federal leaders urge perseverance, authenticity to government interns
Panelists at an OPM event for interns praised federal DEI programs, which some congressional Republicans want to end.
Exclusive
Workforce
Martin O’Malley is on a one-year sprint to save Social Security
Despite shaking up the culture one of Washington’s most risk-averse agencies, the former governor said his biggest task is convincing Congress to reinvest in the Social Security Administration’s administrative overhead.
Tech