By Eric Katz, Government Executive -

Congressional Democrats on Monday raised the stakes for the pending spending showdown, announcing they would attach a 15-month suspension of the federal debt limit to a stopgap funding bill that lawmakers must pass by the end of September to keep federal agencies open.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The Veterans Affairs Department has seen a 9% uptick in vaccinated personnel since it implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for most employees, but a significant number of workers have not been inoculated and the agency is preparing to fire them.

By Courtney Buble, Government Executive -

The Biden administration released new guidance on Thursday about implementing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees, which says even those on telework or remote work must get vaccinated.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

A group representing career prosecutors at the Justice Department on Monday demanded that the department get rid of a pay scale that systematically underpays assistant U.S. attorneys compared to lawyers elsewhere in the department and grant the assistant attorneys access to the General Schedule.

By Ian Smith, FedSmith -

An update from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force says that agencies have a new deadline to meet for getting federal employees fully vaccinated: November 22.

By Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News Network -

The Senate returns from August recess today to a mountain of work. Each item on the to-do list is a heavy lift, and the list itself is quite lengthy.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

President Biden on Thursday signed an executive order mandating that all federal employees and contractors get vaccinated against COVID-19, with no exceptions for those who agree to regular testing for the virus, according to a source familiar with the plans.

By Ian Smith, FedSmith -

As of the end of August, the backlog now stands at 28,565, nearly 6% higher than it was at the end of July and the highest it has been since 2013 when it hit levels topping 30k and 40k some months.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The government is not providing COVID-19 testing to its employees at the federally run clinics positioned throughout the country, despite a new mandate requiring the tests for unvaccinated workers.

By Ian Smith, FedSmith -

The Office of Personnel Management has authorized an emergency leave transfer program (ELTP) for federal employees impacted by Hurricane Ida.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

The Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday issued guidance reminding federal agencies of the workplace flexibilities available for employees impacted by severe weather events like Hurricane Ida, even during a period when much of the federal workforce is already working remotely.

By Jory Heckman, Federal News Network

The General Services Administration, building on lessons in workplace flexibility learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, is giving the federal workforce new opportunities to keep working outside of their traditional offices.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive --

A House panel this week is expected to advance the federal government’s annual defense policy bill, including provisions that would repeal the controversial two-year probationary period for new hires at the Defense Department and add more protections for civilian employees’ jobs.

By Jason Miller, Federal News Network

As the Defense Department digs out of its mound of technical debt, the office of the chief information officer is ensuring military services and defense agencies receive value for these new investments.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

President Biden on Friday formalized his plan to provide civilian federal employees with an average 2.7% raise in 2022 in a letter to congressional leadership.

By Matthew B. Tully, FedSmith

Whether you are a current federal employee or recently separated from your agency within the last year, you may qualify for federal disability benefits if you are no longer able to perform your job at a productive capacity.

By Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News Network

After coming back into town to hammer out the details, the House appears set to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill before the end of September.

By Courtney Buble, Government Executive

The House passed a bipartisan bill on Monday evening to boost transparency of federal spending, which now goes to the president to sign.

By Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News Network

President Biden on Monday announced his intention to name a completely new slate of members to the Federal Service Impasses Panel.

By Ralph R. Smith, FedSmith

As we work our way through the year, the picture becomes clearer on the 2022 pay raise amount for federal employees in the coming year. The president usually issues an “alternative pay plan” for the coming year by the end of August. We do not anticipate this year will be any different.

My Federal Retirement

The annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits — and affecting other federal retirement programs — could be 6.2% according to Social Security and Medicare policy analyst Mary Johnson of the Senior Citizens League (TSCL).

Fedweek

President Biden has made nominations for key positions at the FLRA, and the TSP, two agencies that have drawn more attention than usual in recent years, and potentially setting the stage for a change in direction at least at the former.

An employee organization focused on gender equity at the Justice Department said the federal government should stop asking job applicants for their salary history, a practice that contributes to pay disparity across gender and race.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Jessie Bur, Federal Times

The Office of Personnel Management’s new leader plans to focus on initiatives that offer incentive for people to join and continue working in the federal government.

The Biden administration is requiring at least weekly COVID-19 testing for the unvaccinated, but the White House has offered few details about how that will happen.

Eric Katz, Government Executive

The Biden administration is enforcing “strict” new rules to mandate weekly testing of federal employees not vaccinated against COVID-19, but agencies do not yet have a plan to implement the burdensome requirements they now face.

Agency would mirror organizations within the departments of Defense and Energy.

Eric Katz, Government Executive

The bipartisan infrastructure package agreed to over the weekend would create a new agency in the Transportation Department to fund innovative projects, with lawmakers providing the organization free reign to hire without restrictions and to pay higher salaries than those of most civil service jobs.

Staff Cuts and Budget Increases Are Both on Tap for 2019

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

The Trump administration has provided federal agencies with the latitude to request up to a 5 percent funding boost in fiscal 2019, saying the White House may accommodate a “limited number” of programmatic increases in its final blueprint.

Generally, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said in a memorandum to department and agency heads, agencies should keep their 2019 spending requests in line with what the White House spelled out in the fiscal 2018 budget submission. They should also, however, “identify additional investments in effective programs that further support their mission and fill a clear federal role.”