Pay & Benefits
Revived bill aims to ease financial strain on federal employees during shutdown
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., has reintroduced legislation by former Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., that would require regulators to issue new guidance to help prevent financial hardship for federal employees and contractors caused by budget impasse.
Workforce
Federal employees crowdsource resources to support each other during shutdown
Several nonprofits and state and local governments are offering assistance to civil servants due to the lapse in federal funding.
Pay & Benefits
Trump administration’s claims against automatic furloughed worker backpay lack legal, historical basis
Experts say the White House’s new theory that the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act does not guarantee feds backpay following a shutdown fails a basic tenet of legal analysis.
Pay & Benefits
Trump says he can pick and choose which feds get back pay. Republicans in Congress mostly disagree
Asked if furloughed workers will get retroactively paid, Trump say “it depends.”
Updated
Pay & Benefits
OMB deletes reference to law guaranteeing backpay to furloughed feds from shutdown guidance
An Office of Management and Budget FAQ document now states that only excepted employees forced to work without pay are guaranteed backpay at the conclusion of a lapse in appropriations.
Management
Senate again votes against ending shutdown, something White House said would trigger layoffs
There is still no path toward reopening government and Trump reiterates RIF threat.
Workforce
More employees set to receive furlough notices as shutdown drags on
Agency plans will change significantly in the coming days and weeks if Congress fails to reopen government.
Workforce
Trump administration ‘co-opted the voices’ of Education employees in shutdown blame game, union lawsuit alleges
Furloughed Education Department employees reported that their out-of-office email messages were modified to emphasize that Senate Democrats voted against a GOP government funding measure.
Pay & Benefits
Democrats introduce bill to ease TSP withdrawals, loans during shutdowns
The Emergency Relief for Federal Workers Act would clarify that lapses in appropriations qualify federal workers to take a hardship withdrawal from the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program and eliminate the associated 10% penalty in those instances.
Management
Shutdown poised to drag into next week as layoff threat looms
Senate once again fails to approve spending bill and the two sides remain far divided.
Oversight
Does agency messaging blaming Democrats for government shutdown violate the Hatch Act?
Legal experts agree recent messages by the Trump administration about the shutdown at least pose ethical concerns about government impartiality.
Tech
Tech under OneGov remains ‘fully available’ during shutdown — but agencies may lack funds and personnel to access it
Some of the advanced software tools made available to federal agencies as part of the OneGov initiative are available for a limited time with impending expirations.
Workforce
RIF threat sparks union lawsuit as shutdown continues
AFGE and AFSCME argued that an Office of Management and Budget memo instructing agencies to launch mass layoffs during the government shutdown violate the Antideficiency Act and most agencies’ own authorizing statutes.
Management
Shutdown freezes earlier job-cut battles as Trump signals fresh layoffs
Employees involved in litigation are caught up in furloughs, though group says Trump is seeking to delay accountability.
Workforce
White House: Shutdown layoffs are just days away
So far, just one agency has pursued RIFs while others have largely followed normal shutdown procedures.
Pay & Benefits
Maryland Dems float unemployment insurance for federal workers during shutdown
Congressional Democrats aim to provide benefits to federal employees forced to work during the shutdown, and other pay and benefits news you may have missed this week.
Management
Government spirals into shutdown with Trump promising mass layoffs
A last-ditch effort to keep government funded failed Tuesday night. Agencies will begin furloughing staff on Wednesday.
Workforce
Just 23% of fed workers would be furloughed if the government shuts down, under the Trump administration’s plan
Several agencies plan to keep more employees working than usual, leading to fewer workers being sent home.
Workforce
Despite layoff threat, some feds see government shutdown as an opportunity to push back on Trump’s ‘lawlessness’
Federal employees and members of Congress who spoke at Monday’s press conference pointed out that agency reductions in force can proceed regardless of whether there’s a government shutdown.
Management