RIFs
Performance prioritized over seniority in proposed RIF rule, OSC says
COMMENTARY | The Office of Special Counsel says proposed reduction-in-force changes would give more weight to employee performance and offers its own perspective on how agencies might apply the new rules.
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.
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OPM proposes new layoff rules emphasizing performance and reducing employee protections
Since a draft of the new policy began circulating last fall, federal regulators expanded those excluded from agency reduction in force rules to include all career federal workers in the government’s excepted service.
Report: Nearly 95k science employees left government as Trump downsized agency workforces
The Trump administration also has cut spending on science contracts and grants.
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‘They are America’: Photographer spotlights civil servants who have lost their jobs under Trump
Retired lawyer Allan Dinkoff has documented 65 ex-feds for his photography project “Targeted: Portraits of Civil Servants Under Trump.”
Judiciary requests control over courthouse property management partially due to job cuts at GSA
The General Services Administration, which manages government property, said in a statement that the “American taxpayer is best served by the judiciary focusing on the rule of law while GSA continues to focus on the federal real estate portfolio.”
Fate of CFPB employees hang in the balance as judges consider agency's future
The Trump administration is seeking authority to lay off nearly all employees at the consumer watchdog.
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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.
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‘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.
Former feds turn to tailored job search resources to continue service-oriented work
Several nonprofits and universities are providing support to civil servants in search of new roles.
Congress paused all federal layoffs for 3 months. That's set to change this week
A ban on agency RIFs is scheduled to be lifted after Feb. 13.
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Education Department spent up to $38M paying employees not to work before reinstating them, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office also reported that the caseload for the department’s Office for Civil Rights increased by an average of 98 cases per week during part of the time that these staffers were on paid leave.
Lawsuit seeks to stop FEMA from cutting its workforce in half
Staff reductions at the disaster agency were put on hold last week, as it faced the recent winter storm.
Some FEMA employee layoffs put on hold, while reform council renewed
The pause in reducing Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) employees comes as the U.S. faces a winter storm.
Laid off HHS employees win judge approval to seek class action suit
Employees say they are entitled to financial compensation for the errors HHS made when trying to force them out.
Out of government, former USAID employees continue to offer their expertise
Former development workers founded Aid on the Hill to lobby members of Congress about international assistance.
CFPB staves off furloughs after receiving funding, but still pushes to shut itself down and squeeze staff
The Trump administration is complying with court orders but cutting pay and benefits for employees as it seeks to lay virtually all of them off.
Dueling HHS reversals whipsaw federal employees, grant recipients
Hundreds of laid off employees were recalled to work, but thousands of grant recipients had their funds rescinded with no notice.
After confusion, State will move forward with hundreds of layoffs
A judge said a statutory moratorium on RIFs does not require they be withdrawn entirely.
The 5 biggest stories federal agencies and employees need to watch in 2026
Trump will look to finalize his government overhaul efforts next year.
