Management

SSA has a plan, but wants more funding to get it done

The 2024 agenda’s top priorities for the remainder of the year stem from over 5,000 recommendations from employees.

Management

OPM and OMB unveil a new plan to improve the federal hiring ‘experience’ for both workers and HR managers

The Biden administration’s latest effort to improve the federal hiring process provides a roadmap for implementing decades-old calls for reform.

Management

A pair of new bills aim to reshape the Secret Service 

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., penned new legislation to shift the agency’s jurisdiction for investigating financial crimes and alter how it designates its protective perimeter in the wake of the Trump assassination attempt. 

Management

USDA to take ‘additional step’ in testing beef from former dairy cattle for bird flu

The undersecretary for food safety at the USDA said Tuesday that the new testing program follows three studies undertaken during the spring and summer that all found beef in the nation’s food supply is safe to eat.

Updated Management

Customs and Border Protection settles a $45M lawsuit alleging discrimination against pregnant employees

Plaintiffs said the agency required them to enter temporary light duty status after becoming pregnant, as opposed to giving them the option.

Management

Lack of timeframes and follow-ups led Social Security to delay some priority disability applications 

An inspector general’s audit found that while the agency identified and processed 96% of the priority cases reviewed, a slice of applications slipped past monitoring, leading to longer wait times.

Management

Leaked Project 2025 training videos warn aspiring political appointees of ‘persecution’ by career feds

Though the videos don’t overtly discuss the Trump campaign or the Heritage Foundation-led transition project’s endorsement of Schedule F, conservatives repeatedly stressed the need for more “political control” of agencies.

Management

EEOC workers could be furloughed for one day due to budget shortfall

No additional funding and a high pay increase for federal employees helped create the agency’s financial conundrum.

Management

The Good Government Agenda for 2025 and beyond

COMMENTARY | A good presidential Management Agenda is, well, good. But a Good Government Agenda might be better.

Management

GSA updates standards to advance green federal buildings

The Biden administration wants federal buildings to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.

Management

How the FDA could shape the future of psychedelics research

To move the drugs forward, manufacturers may need to follow the agency’s advice for elevating the quality of evidence.

Management

Justice Department sues freight railroad to improve Amtrak service

Trains are late three-quarters of the time along one Amtrak route. The Justice Department blames Norfolk Southern for the chronic delays.

Management

New Senate bill aims to codify Chevron deference with congressional intent

Sen. Ron Wyden’s, D-Ore., Restoring Congressional Authority Act would reimpose judicial deference to federal agencies in clarifying regulatory intent after the Supreme Court struck down a 40-year precedent in June. 

Management

Senate appropriators propose $500 million budget increase for Social Security overhead

The decision to include $14.7 billion for the Social Security Administration’s administrative budget sets up a fight with the House, which is proposing a nearly half billion-dollar cut.

Management

Trump, Harris offer starkly different paths on transportation policy

The next president will decide how best to carry out President Joe Biden’s infrastructure initiatives. They could affect what cars Americans drive, the air they breathe and how easy it is to get a job in construction for transportation projects.

Management

Federal employees exposed to lead and bacteria in water due to delayed GSA response, IG says

A new report found that water quality at a federal building in Detroit included potentially harmful levels of lead, copper and Legionella bacteria, and the Public Buildings Service did not respond to the threat promptly. 

Management

Senators take another crack at solving over-classification

The bipartisan Classification Reform for Transparency Act would establish a new task force to narrow the criteria for classifying documents and make it harder for agencies to exempt records from automatic declassification.

Management

Senate bill could reduce feds salary to $1 if they don’t respond to congressional requests

The Upholding Standards of Accountability Act would require agency leaders to testify before congressional committees after publishing any new major rule, among other provisions, in the wake of the Chevron deference decision.  

Management

White House roadmap looks to guide emerging tech standardization

The Biden administration unveiled a to-do list for federal agencies developing standards for cutting-edge technologies, focusing on external communications.

Management

The General Services Administration celebrates 75 years as the federal government’s landlord

The agency is central to efforts to promote green buildings and right-size the federal real estate portfolio.