- The Trickiest Retirement Decision You’ll Have to Make - June 15, 2021
By Tammy Flanagan, Government Executive
Life is full of choices. As retirement approaches for federal employees, there are issues like picking the best date, choosing when to start taking Social Security and deciding how much life insurance to keep.- Read More
- Government’s Contract Spending Reached Record High in Fiscal 2020 - June 14, 2021
- Fiscal 2020 is the fifth straight year of increased government contract spending, according to Bloomberg Government.Frank Konkel, NextgovThe federal government spent a record $682 billion on contracts in fiscal 2020, according to an analysis released Thursday by Bloomberg Government.
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- Biden Administration to Lift Capacity Caps at Federal Worksites - June 11, 2021
- By Erich Wagner, Government ExecutiveThe Biden administration on Thursday announced that it would lift its 25% cap on the number of federal employees allowed to report to agency worksites due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although it will maintain its maximum telework policy until at least next month.
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- Can Federal Managers Adapt to a Hybrid or Remote Workplace? - June 10, 2021
- By Jeff Neal, FedSmithAgencies are developing plans for returning federal workers to the office. What that looks like is still undecided. Government, like the private sector, is likely to see a variety of practices that are dependent on agency mission, type of work, and agency culture. The issue of the pandemic and employee safety is still first and foremost in the mind of many people.
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- Agencies Must Finalize Return-to-Office Plans by July 19 - June 9, 2021
- By Courtney Buble, Government ExecutiveThe Biden administration is asking agencies to submit by July 19 finalized plans for returning federal workers to their offices.
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- How Much Money Does A Federal Employee Need In Retirement? - June 4, 2021
- By Jesse Black, FedSmithYou might have read the common rule of thumb is that you should have “80% of your pre-retirement income in retirement to maintain the same lifestyle”. How much money should you really have, and how does this “rule” pertain to federal employees?
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- Agency Hiring Initiatives and Other Takeaways From Biden's First Budget - June 2, 2021
- By Eric Katz, Government ExecutiveThe Biden administration is planning to add 50,000 federal employees to agency rolls in fiscal 2022, targeting those surges at agencies that experienced the biggest losses under the Trump administration.
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- Biden Says He Is ‘Recommitting to Good Government’ in Full Fiscal 2022 Budget Proposal - June 1, 2021
- By Courtney Buble, Government ExecutiveOn Friday morning, President Biden sent Congress a $6 trillion budget request for fiscal 2022 in which he said he is “recommitting to good government” through re-empowering the federal workforce and bolstering the ability of federal agencies to serve Americans.
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- Two New Retirement Savings Bills Could Impact TSP - May 28, 2021
- By Erich Wagner, Government ExecutiveA pair of bills working their way through Congress would make it easier for older Americans, including federal employees, to ensure they have enough money saved for retirement, although officials with the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program say both measures may be too optimistic in their implementation goals.
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- January COLA? Up, up and away! - May 27, 2021
- By Mike Causey, FedSmithFederal, military and Social Security retirees are in line for a cost of living adjustment (COLA) that could be their biggest in more than a decade. Current projections of the size of the inflation catchup range from 3% to as much as 4.7%.
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- House committee passes bill to prevent another Schedule F executive order from happening - May 26, 2021
- By Jory Heckman, Federal News NetworkFormer President Donald Trump’s Schedule F executive order would have led to a major reckoning within the federal civil service, but his successor repealed it in his first week in office. Now the House Oversight and Reform Committee has passed a bipartisan bill that would prevent any administration from moving federal jobs outside the competitive service without approval from Congress.
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- Biden could make flexible or remote working the norm for more federal employees post-pandemic, according to a report - May 25, 2021
- By Grace Dean, Business InsiderThe White House is considering making flexible working the norm for more federal employees after the pandemic, according to a report by The Washington Post.
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- IRS plans ‘significant hiring’ to stay ahead of 52K employees expected to leave in coming years - May 24, 2021
- By Jory Heckman, Federal News NetworkThe IRS is gearing up for a “significant hiring” of employees who are looking to join the agency at all stages of careers, as well as bringing back former IRS employees to tackle a growing workload.
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- Special Enrollment Period Announced for FSAFEDS - May 21, 2021
- By Ian Smith, FedSmithIn response to recent legislation and guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, the Office of Personnel Management has announced a one time, special enrollment period this summer for federal employees to increase or decrease their current elections for the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS).
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- 2022 Federal Pay Raise: Waiting for the Next Shoe to Drop - May 20, 2021
- By Ian Smith, FedSmithWhen might federal employees get an update on the 2022 federal pay raise? It is likely to be next week.
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- Vaccinated Individuals No Longer Need Masks in Federal Buildings - May 18, 2021
- By Courtney Buble, Government ExecutiveFollowing the new public health guidance issued last week, the White House said fully vaccinated federal employees, contractors and visitors are no longer required to wear masks in federal buildings.
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- OPM Finalizes Rule Ensuring Feds Can Change Insurance During Shutdowns - April 2, 2021
- During the 35-day government shutdown, some workers were unable to make changes to their health benefits because the employees responsible for processing those changes were furloughed.Erich Wagner, Government ExecutiveThe Office of Personnel Management moved Thursday to finalize new regulations that will ensure federal workers can make changes to their insurance enrollment following major life events in the midst of a government shutdown.
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- OPM Proposes Prioritizing Job Performance Over Tenure in Layoffs - December 18, 2020
- By Erich Wagner, Government ExecutiveThe Office of Personnel Management on Thursday proposed regulations that would prioritize employees’ recent performance over their length of service when agencies decide who to lay off during reductions in force.
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- BOTH STAFF CUTS AND BUDGET INCREASES FOR FY 2019 - July 13, 2017
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.”
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- Agencies Could Rehire, Promote Former Employees With New OPM Regulatory Fix - December 24, 2019
- By Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News NetworkThe Office of Personnel Management wants to help agencies rehire former employees who have left government — and offer a non-competitive promotion to a higher grade level to sweeten the deal.In a proposed rule, which is scheduled for publication later this week, OPM will recommend new regulations that will allow agencies to non-competitively reappoint former employees to other positions at a higher grade level than when they left government.
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- How The Government Wants Agencies To Regulate AI - January 14, 2020
- By Andrew Eversden, Federal TimesThe Office of Management and Budget released a draft memorandum Jan. 13 providing guidance to agencies on how they should approach regulation of industry’s artificial intelligence applications.The guidance emphasizes that agencies should consider how any regulatory action would potentially hinder expansion of AI use. The draft memo “calls on agencies, when considering regulations or policies related to AI applications, to promote advancements in technology and innovation."
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