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Management
Union and lawmakers criticize HUD’s handling of HQ move as questions go unanswered
Employees and Democratic senators claim HUD officials have not been forthcoming with operational or budget details related to the move to Virginia, which they argue could run afoul of federal law.
Workforce
Education Department staff cuts have hurt service rather than streamlined bureaucracy, say opponents on 1-year mark of RIFs
Lawmakers and education advocates at Wednesday’s press conference also emphasized that the department has hired back some employees, and Congress rejected many proposed funding reductions at Education.
Management
Bipartisan bill would authorize the Secret Service to reimburse state and local police for assistance
The Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement that local law enforcement often work with the Secret Service but have to rely on their own resources.
Management
Kristi Noem misled Congress about top aide’s role in DHS contracts
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Noem denied that Corey Lewandowski had any role in approving contracts. But internal DHS records and interviews with current and former agency staffers contradict her testimony.
Oversight
Homeland Security Department is stonewalling watchdog investigations, GOP senator alleges
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that he would procedurally obstruct the legislative process until officials respond to his questions about department oversight.
Management
Congress searches for shutdown off-ramp as DHS employees start missing pay
Republican leaders hope a new vote this week, and pressure from war in Iran, will help spur a breakthrough on DHS funding.
Oversight
Bipartisan lawmakers worried about shaky progress on modernized government worker background check system
The IT system undergirding the overhauled background check program is nearly a decade behind schedule and billions over budget.
News
Trump uses State of the Union to call for end of DHS shutdown, declares ‘war on fraud’
The president also promised to expand the type of retirement savings account currently available to federal employees to the general public.
Updated
Management
The Trump administration wants to recruit more Peace Corps volunteers with fewer agency personnel, puzzling Democratic lawmakers
Twenty-one members of Congress urged the Peace Corps to pause workforce layoffs and restructuring until officials can show that the agency will still be able to fulfill required activities and protect volunteers who are serving internationally.
Management
Trump promised to ‘reclaim power’ from civil servants in his 2025 speech to Congress. Here’s what has changed since
The administration has made strides on several of the federal workforce goals that the president laid out in his speech to Congress last year.
Management
Democrats sound alarm on Interior reorg's impact on wildfires, land management
Unauthorized shifts to staffing could leave DOI agencies underresourced for critical duties, lawmakers say.
Management
Lawmaker pitches blueprint for post-DOGE privacy overhaul
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., wants to redo the government's main privacy law to ensure people’s information is “handled responsibly” when in government hands.
Workforce
Unions oppose a Trump labor nominee over lack of experience, hostility toward bargaining
Conservative lawyer Charlton Allen has no prior experience in labor-management relations, but said he opposed collective bargaining rights for state workers in North Carolina as a political candidate in 2012.
Updated
Oversight
‘My dream job has turned into a nightmare’: Ex-feds and public service experts testify to Congress on how to rebuild government post-Trump
Some recommendations that several Democratic lawmakers and advocates brought up included overturning Schedule Policy/Career, restoring collective bargaining rights for the federal workforce and increasing congressional oversight.
Management
DHS to shut down after lawmakers, White House fail to reach agreement on funding and reforms
Most non-ICE, non-CBP employees are now facing potentially delayed paychecks.
Pay & Benefits
Dem lawmakers propose 4.1% raise for feds in 2027
The annual reintroduction of the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act aims to set a baseline for negotiations around federal employee compensation for the coming year.
Oversight
DHS implies it will stop certain oversight investigations, senator alleges
A Homeland Security Department official stressed in a statement that the secretary has the authority to pause some inspector general inquiries.
Pay & Benefits
House panel advances bill to update federal worker buyout caps
Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments offered to federal workers during agency downsizings, have been capped at $25,000 since the 1990s. Newly advanced legislation would tie maximum payouts to half of an employee’s annual salary.
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Oversight
Democrats ask watchdog marked by past controversy to expedite reviews of ICE, CBP
Misconduct allegations against Homeland Security Department inspector general Joseph Cuffari were substantiated in 2024, but President Joe Biden did not remove him.
Management