Author Archive
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.
Updated
Workforce
‘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.”
Workforce
Ex-DOJ civil rights attorneys continue their work ‘just not in the division’
About three quarters of lawyers working on civil rights at the Justice Department have left the division since President Donald Trump took office.
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.
Management
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.”
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.
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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.
Workforce
Postal Service sets up mental health peer support program for its law enforcement officers
The mental health of federal law enforcement employees has been a focus of lawmakers in recent years.
Oversight
Amid immigration agent hiring surge, watchdog flags shortages on the U.S.-Canada border
Only 77% of surveillance specialist openings were filled at the end of fiscal 2024, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
Oversight
Indian Affairs regional employees have more work and fewer people to do it, watchdog reports
Officials from one region said that Trump staff cuts impaired a response to a wildland fire, while others characterized disbursing Inflation Reduction Act funds as an “unfunded mandate.”
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.
Oversight
Watchdog flags gaps in Coast Guard’s handling of discrimination complaints
More than half of the incidents analyzed in the report, which looked back to fiscal 1998, occurred between fiscal 2019 and 2024.
Workforce
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.
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Workforce
Former Cabinet secretaries urge federal employees to 'keep the faith' despite threats to civil service
Janet Yellen and Gary Locke praised career civil servants for their dedication and stressed the vital role they play in keeping government running, even in challenging times.
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.
Management
USPS posts $1.3B quarterly loss, as officials clash over fixes
Detailing its first quarter performance Thursday, postal leaders praised service improvements during the holidays season, while bemoaning the agency’s financial prospects.
Updated
Oversight
A thinning roster at Indian Affairs leaves tribes wondering who’s left to help, watchdog reports
Indian Affairs’ workforce has decreased by 11% since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Workforce
ICE is scrutinizing work from home permissions for its employees with disabilities, continuing trend across government
The immigration enforcement agency said there was a “dramatic surge” in telework and remote work reasonable accommodation requests after President Donald Trump ended work from home flexibility for federal employees.
Updated
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.
