Author Archive
Workforce
TSA took away its officers’ chairs. The union isn’t sitting quietly
The Trump administration has taken several actions to weaken Transportation Security Administration employees’ collective bargaining rights.
Oversight
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.
Oversight
Housing finance agency chief moves to slash watchdog’s budget, leading Democrats to demand his resignation
The Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general said that budget cuts would force the office to reduce its staffing by up to 80% and effectively stop criminal investigations.
Oversight
Trump’s new Education IG nominee continues dizzying run of leadership changes at the watchdog office
Mark Priebe — the nominee, who recently served as acting inspector general at the Education Department — has defended the president’s mass firing of inspectors general and appears to have supported Trump on social media.
Oversight
Dozens of federal immigration employees stayed in sensitive positions despite security concerns, inspector general reports
Homeland Security Department officials pushed back on the report, contending that “[i]t is simply incorrect to suggest that these employees occupied national security positions for years without appropriate vetting.”
Management
$25,000 bonuses for top-performing feds? OPM makes it easier for agencies to award them
The HR agency also recently capped the percentage of civil servants who can earn the top two performance ratings in fiscal 2026.
Oversight
Watchdog won’t discipline agencies over partisan shutdown posts but warns against ‘derogatory’ messaging
Many departments blamed congressional Democrats for last year’s funding lapse by posting banners on agency websites and modifying furloughed employees’ out-of-office messages.
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Oversight
ICE’s $45 billion detention expansion is littered with costly missteps, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office criticized plans to sell recently purchased warehouses, the shuttered “Alligator Alcatraz” facility and spending millions to detain an average of 16 migrants in fiscal 2026 at Guantanamo Bay.
Workforce
Trust in government is sinking, but a new survey suggests civil servants’ stock is rising
The percentages of respondents who said most civil servants are competent and committed to helping people “like me” increased to record highs — at 65% and 61%, respectively.
Oversight
Congress — not the president — should appoint the next GAO head, bipartisan coalition argues
The organizations from across the political spectrum contended that former Comptroller General Gene Dodaro’s retirement last year provides an opportunity for lawmakers to overhaul the nomination process.
Updated
Workforce
OPM uses conservative influencers on college tour to recruit young workers
On Thursday, the government HR agency chief is visiting an unaccredited college founded by right-wing figures.
Oversight
Interior watchdog clears official over agency work involving his former oil industry employer
The inspector general for the Interior Department has faced scrutiny due to the installation of a political appointee in the office, but the watchdog’s former leader said that the outcome of this ethics investigation “seems legitimate.”
Updated
Management
‘I love to solve problems’: Awards program honors feds who improved the delivery of public services
The Service to the Citizen award recognizes public servants at the federal, state and local levels as well as contractors.
Management
More ‘Big Balls’-type young feds are what the OPM chief wants
In an interview on Monday, Scott Kupor also discussed implementing skills-based hiring, which had been a priority of the Biden administration as well.
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Oversight
Hatch Act complaints against Trump officials continue to pile up as investigations go on for nearly a year
Attorney General Todd Blanche and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are the latest administration officials to be accused of breaking the ethics law.
Workforce
What does 9/11 mean for young public servants who hardly remember it?
Although they may have limited memories of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, some people say the events still shaped their career decisions.
Management
Trump is staffing up agencies with political appointees. They’re not sticking around, new analysis finds
The Partnership for Public Service previously reported on high turnover among Senate-confirmed political appointees during the president’s second term. In a new report, researchers from the nonprofit find a similar trend with non-Senate-confirmed ones.
Oversight
Musk should testify about overstated savings from DHS contract cancellations, Democrats argue
The Government Accountability Office reported that contract terminations pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency yielded a net of $92 million — much less than the Homeland Security Department’s public report of as much as $10.5 billion in potential savings.
Oversight
Inspectors general are facing an identity crisis. Here’s how some former IGs would preserve the watchdogs’ independence
A panel of former leaders of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency made several recommendations for reforming the group, which has been targeted by the Trump administration.
Management
Inspector general fired by Trump talks leadership, OIG independence and his new memoir
Former Labor watchdog Larry Turner writes about confronting racism, working under “toxic” bosses and what he misses most about being in government.
