RIFs
Cut first, measure later: Watchdogs find problems across foreign affairs agency reorganizations
Among the findings, the inspector general for the State Department reported that the government is spending $3.2 million biweekly on administrative leave for employees who received reduction in force notices last year.
Shutdown mass-layoff policy rescinded as part of settlement with unions
The Trump administration sent reduction in force notices to thousands of employees during the 43-day government shutdown last fall.
OPM finalizes rules expanding its power over RIFs, employee appeals
Taken together, four regulations set for publication Monday would shift adjudication of several types of adverse action appeals from the Merit Systems Protection Board to the Office of Personnel Management.
Survey shows the toll of USAID’s closure on former employees and their families
Nearly half of survey respondents who were foreign service officers reported that their households experienced dual job loss as a result of the layoffs.
OPM shrinks its workforce by a third, seeks further staffing cuts
The agency is giving employees in its healthcare and insurance division another shot at opting into the deferred resignation program.
A year after State layoffs, ex-feds say U.S. is paying the price in Iran and Ebola crises
Democratic lawmakers at a Thursday press conference also touted a new bill that would exempt foreign service officers who were pushed out by the Trump administration from being required to take the Foreign Service Officer Test if they wish to rejoin.
The biggest story in the federal workforce cuts isn't how many left, it's who wasn't replaced
COMMENTARY | The data suggest the workforce reduction reshaped not just the size of government, but the expertise available to carry out its work, one expert argues.
Education Department layoffs hindered congressionally mandated activities, inspector general reports
The inspector general office at the Education Department has experienced several leadership shake-ups, including one acting leader who seems to have been replaced over the report.
HHS to start Schedule P/C conversions while withholding details on new RIFs
Hundreds of GS-15s are being converted to the controversial job classification that strips civil service protections.
McMahon distances herself from past Education layoffs, vows some rebuilding even amid elimination effort
The secretary says it is "difficult" to defend some of the cuts, adding they were underway before her arrival. She continues to support the department's elimination, however.
Severe staffing cuts at GSA are harming agencies across government, watchdog says
Due to the reductions, agencies reported that they were unsure about who to contact at GSA and had to delay project timelines.
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Trump’s federal workforce changes cost the economy more than $165.6B, analysis finds
The Partnership for Public Service report includes the costs of the deferred resignation program, severance pay for laid-off civil servants and federal employees who were on paid administrative leave while their firings were challenged in court.
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Ex-VOA employees challenge last year’s buyout and retirement offers
Four former U.S. Agency for Global Media employees seek class certification from the Merit Systems Protection Board, arguing that the March invalidation of Kari Lake’s actions atop the agency should also apply to agreements reached under the Deferred Resignation Program and other buyout authorities.
Interior incentivizes more staff departures after already cutting 20% of its workforce
The department becomes the first to offer a widespread "deferred resignation" this year.
Consumer watchdog agency asks court for permission to slash its workforce by two-thirds
The argument that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can carry out its duties with one-third the staff is "laughable," a union official said.
A federal office designed to stave off the next financial crisis is being dismantled by the Trump administration
Upcoming layoffs at the Treasury Department agency will result in an overall workforce reduction of 64%.
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The Trump administration paid these employees not to work for more than a year. It just called them back
Some employees sidelined for their diversity and inclusion jobs received a one year, stress-ridden sabbatical, but are now returning to similar jobs.
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.
Updated
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.
