Management

Internal Documents Show Federal Agencies Supported the WHO Before Trump Was Against It

In a battle between China and the U.S. over global leadership, American diplomats and aid officials cited U.S. funding of the World Health Organization as key and relied heavily on the agency for help. When Trump cut its funding, he upended all that.

Workforce

Office of Special Counsel to Federal Employees: We’re Here to Protect You

As the office takes steps to protect its own employees, OSC has created a coronavirus task force to handle the rise in whistleblower disclosures and charges of retaliation.

Management

The Army Corps of Engineers' Race to Convert Hotels and Convention Centers to Hospitals

The agency's first makeshift hospital was in New York’s Javits Center, and it is building or has built close to 30 similar projects around the country.

Workforce

Millions of Essential Workers Are Being Left Out of COVID-19 Workplace Safety Protections, Thanks to OSHA

Even as the federal worker-safety agency has been inundated with complaints, it has rolled back safety standards and virtually eliminated non-health care workplaces from government protection.

Workforce

Restarting the Economy Too Soon Could Damage It More

Preventing people from getting sick with COVID-19 and saving lives is better for the economy than reopening businesses too soon, a new paper finds.

Workforce

USDA Is Relocating Its Food Inspectors From One Hot Spot to the Next As More Employees Get Sick

Now employees are required to continue working even after known coronavirus exposure as government seeks to avoid food supply disruptions.

Workforce

VA Instructs Coronavirus-Exposed Staff to Continue Working, Places Those Who Don’t in AWOL Status

"This is the absolute worst-case scenario of anything I have ever experienced in my nursing career," according to one registered nurse.

Oversight

Congress Is Investigating Whether a Ventilator Company Is Gouging the U.S. — and Why the Government Is Letting It Happen

A congressional subcommittee is questioning a federal decision to pay quadruple the price for the commercial version of a ventilator Royal Philips N.V. had developed with taxpayer funds.

Management

Trump Administration Officials Warned Against Halting Funding to WHO, Leaked Memo Shows

A draft State Department memo says the move would “cede ground” to China and hobble the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: Coronavirus Fears and Meat Inspection

Katherine McIntire Peters and Eric Katz join the podcast to discuss how Food Safety Inspection Service employees voiced their concerns about the coronavirus at meat processing plants.

Management

Trump Denigrates Vote By Mail, But Troops Have Been Doing It For Decades

“Fraud is extremely rare in mail voting” says one expert, noting there are a number of security features associated with such ballots.

Management

Coronavirus Roundup: Trump Seeks to Fill Vacancies During Pandemic

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.

Management

The CDC and WHO Have Already Said Mosquitoes Don’t Spread Coronavirus. Now USDA Will Study It, Too.

An adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association says the possibility of mosquito transition of the coronavirus is “nil.”

Defense

Viewpoint: The Military Must Act Fast on COVID-19

Members of the U.S. military, especially those in the field or on ships, don't have the luxury of social distancing. How will that affect national security?

Oversight

GovExec Daily: How to Communicate During a Pandemic

The Partnership for Public Service’s Samantha Donaldson joins the podcast to explain the clarity agencies need to have while communicating during the coronavirus crisis.

Management

The Pandemic Is a Clarion Call to Remove Barriers to Innovation

The COVID-19 crisis presents an opportunity to put in place solutions that will benefit us all, now and in the future.