FEDweek -

Congress returned this week from its summer recess facing a fast-arriving deadline to keep federal agencies funded beyond the September 30 end of the current fiscal year, only to quickly return to the kind of brinksmanship that often has threatened—and sometimes has resulted in—a partial government shutdown.

Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive -

A team of Labor Department employees who discovered that teenagers were being used to work on dangerous machinery in slaughterhouses across the country won the award for federal employee of the year.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

An interim final rule slated for publication next week updates the Merit Systems Protection Board’s procedures to allow the agency to take more actions without a full slate of political appointees.

By Ian Smith, FedSmith

The 2025 federal pay raise is one step closer to being finalized after President Biden issued his alternative pay plan letter at the end of August outlining the amounts he wants for next year’s pay raise for federal employees.

The president proposed a 2% raise for federal employees in March and reiterated it in his alternative pay plan letter. Assuming that is the final amount, the 2% 2025 federal pay raise will be divided between an average of 0.3% for locality pay areas and 1.7% as an across-the-board pay raise, according to what Biden outlined in the letter.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

President Biden formalized his plan to provide civilian federal workers with an average pay increase of 2% next year, in a letter to congressional leaders Friday.

Last March, Biden first announced the pay raise plan as part of his fiscal 2025 budget proposal, marking a significant decrease from previous pay raises of 5.2% in 2024 and 4.7% in 2023. Friday's announcement confirms that, if implemented, federal employees will see an across-the-board boost of 1.7% to basic pay and an average 0.3% increase to locality pay, a slight departure from the traditional 0.5% of the overall raise figure being set aside for locality adjustments.

FEDweek -

GSA has announced the per diem rates for federal employees traveling on official business in fiscal year 2025, starting October 1, including an increase from $107 to $110 per day in the standard lodging rate for destinations without specific rates.

Carten Cordell, Government Executive -

A new Biden administration initiative to crack down on “unnecessary headaches” for consumers will include plans for employees on the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits plans to submit out-of-network claims online, alongside other updates.

FEDweek -

Although the Senate version of the annual general government appropriations bill mirrors the House version in effectively endorsing a 2 percent federal employee raise in January (see related story) they differ on other workplace issues.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

The Office of Personnel Management processed nearly 500 fewer retirement requests than it received last month, causing its backlog to inch up for the second straight month.

The federal government’s dedicated HR agency reported a slight uptick in its backlog of pending federal employee retirement claims for the second straight month in July.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday advanced spending legislation that would increase the Social Security Administration’s administrative budget by $500 million, setting up a standoff with the House.

Since the George W. Bush administration made overhead costs for the agency responsible for administering the two largest pieces of non-discretionary federal spending—retirement and disability benefits—part of the discretionary budget, SSA’s annual budget has been contained in the Labor-Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Although Congress sets the agency’s administrative funding levels each year, the money comes from federal payroll taxes, not the U.S. Treasury.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Committee unveiled and unanimously advanced spending legislation Thursday effectively endorsing President Biden’s planned 2% average pay increase for federal workers in January, to the chagrin of federal employee groups and advocates.

The committee moved four of the 12 fiscal 2025 appropriations bills Thursday, including the Energy and Water Development; Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services; and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations acts. That last bill is traditionally the avenue by which lawmakers seek to override a president’s alternative pay plan, and the committee’s draft is silent on most federal workers’ compensation rates, effectively endorsing the White House’s plan.

FedManager -

A new regulation is meant to ensure that federal workers who are temporarily promoted and shuffled into positions by an agency are paid for the entire duration of their detail.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published the finalized rule on Time Limited Promotions in the Federal Register. It takes effect August 26, 2024.

By Derace Lauderdale, Federal News Network

The Office of Personnel Management is in the midst of a pilot with a small number of agencies to improve the applicant experience for its retirement systems, part of a broader push to get the organization away from paper documents altogether.

Catherine Manfre, chief transformation officer at OPM, said that their “north star has been people first. And what that has meant to us is how do we think about putting our customers first and our people first?”

“The initial focus of the pilot is really on the front end of the experience, allowing future annuitants to go through a digital application process,” she said during an interview on Federal Monthly Insights — Trustworthy AI in the Workforce. “What we’re trying to understand in the pilot phase is really the applicant experience and some of the things that we can make improvements on, to make that part of the journey more seamless and easy, for both the individual annuitant but also actually for the agency itself, because there are different handoffs in that new retirement process.”

By Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive

When Michelle Amante finished graduate school, she wanted to work for the federal government. But the lengthy, labyrinthine process to get a job at an agency deterred her.

“Twenty years ago, when I was doing this, it felt overwhelming. When I was graduating, I knew I couldn’t wait six months to get a job. I would have bills to pay. I had rent to pay,” she said. “So I went into a consulting firm because they were giving me an offer…even though my heart was fully in public service.”

By Sean Michael Newhouse and Eric Katz, Government Executive

If elected, Vice President Kamala Harris — the likely Democratic presidential nominee after Joe Biden on Sunday ended his reelection bid — would bring to the Oval Office significant experience in federal workforce issues and a history of advocating for employees and their labor groups.

As vice president, Harris led a White House task force that made recommendations for how agencies could reduce barriers for public and private sector workers to organize or join a union. In the year after agencies began implementing these recommendations, the number of federal employees who are dues paying members of a union increased by 20%.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday encouraged federal agencies to conduct their own analyses to correct potential pay disparities within their workforces.

In 2021, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order aimed at improving diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility at federal agencies, including provisions requiring the creation of a governmentwide strategic plan on the issue and that the OPM director consider banning the use of past salary history to set pay during the hiring process. OPM followed through on that edict earlier this year.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

The head of the Senate’s panel overseeing federal workforce issues announced Wednesday that he had introduced legislation to codify the recent loosening of hiring and security clearance restrictions on past marijuana use in law.

Shortly after Biden’s inauguration in 2021, the Office of Personnel Management issued new guidance stating that a federal job applicant’s past marijuana use can no longer be the sole factor behind the decision not to hire them. Similarly, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence updated its rules to clarify that past marijuana consumption cannot be the only reason behind the denial of a security clearance for federal workers and contractors.

By Ian Smith, FedSmith

Recently introduced legislation would restrict partisan political activity of certain federal employees who are not currently covered by the Hatch Act.

The new bill (S. 4656) would include Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs) on the list of executive agencies whose employees are “further restricted” from engaging in partisan political activity and therefore subject to the Hatch Act. It was introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on July 10, 2024. As of the time of this writing, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) is the sole co-sponsor.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

The Senate on Wednesday voted 55-37 to confirm Anne Wagner as the third member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, finally bringing the agency’s political leadership to nearly full strength.

Similar to the National Labor Relations Board’s role overseeing collective bargaining in the private sector, the FLRA governs labor-management relations at federal agencies, with a three-member board that settles unfair labor practice complaints and other disputes between unions and management.

FEDweek -

The FLRA will offer virtual training July 23 beginning at 1 pm Eastern time to explain and describe the application of a precedent it set last year regarding the scope of management rights in bargaining.

FEDweek -

A report from Republicans on the House Budget Committee has recommended increasing the contributions that federal employees must make toward their annuity benefits, among other recommended changes to federal retirement.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

House GOP appropriators have proposed a $450 million cut to the Social Security Administration’s administrative budget, in a move that Democrats warn will worsen the agency’s customer service crisis.

The cuts are tucked into the fiscal 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies spending bill, which was advanced to the full House Appropriations Committee Thursday following of a subcommittee markup on the measure.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

The Supreme Court on Thursday reversed federal agencies’ longstanding capacity to adjudicate and enforce certain federal laws, dealing the latest in a series of blows to the executive branch’s administrative powers.

In a 6-3 decision, the conservative majority on the court rejected the Biden administration's argument that existing precedent protected agencies as they adjudicated laws written by Congress, instead suggesting individuals and private entities had a right to defend themselves from civil penalties before a jury. The Seventh Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees a right to a trial before a jury of peers, applies to cases involving administrative penalties, the court ruled.

FEDweek -

Federal employees could face layoffs, hiring freezes or furloughs under the GOP-crafted spending bills now advancing in the House, say congressional Democrats who are consistently voting against those bills.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

It’s only June, but federal employees’ chances of receiving a pay raise larger than President Biden’s proposed 2% average increase are already waning.

Last week, House appropriators advanced their Financial Services and General Government spending bill for fiscal 2025. Though the measure is typically the avenue for overriding a president’s pay raise plan for civilian employees, it is silent on federal employee compensation, effectively endorsing the president’s proposal.

FEDweek -

The House version of the annual general government spending bill addresses several hiring-related issues, including encouraging OPM to continue to review policies “regarding the hiring and firing of individuals who use marijuana in states where that individual’s private use of marijuana is not prohibited under the law of the state.”

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Civilian federal employees are still expected to receive an average 2.0% raise next year, after the House Appropriations Committee advanced a spending package Thursday that is silent of federal worker compensation.

Last spring, President Biden turned heads by releasing a fiscal 2025 budget proposal with a 2.0% average pay increase for civilian federal employees in 2025. That figure came in well below Biden’s previous pay raise plans—in 2024, federal workers saw an average 5.2% increase; in 2023, the increase was 4.6%; and in 2022, 2.2%.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

Efforts to streamline the processing of departing federal workers’ retirement applications continue to pay dividends, as the inventory of pending claims hit the lowest point since 2016.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The nation’s top prosecutor pledged this week to use his authority to go after anyone making threats against career federal employees, which he said have spiked to previously unseen levels.

FEDweek -

The Partnership for Public Service says that a recent survey it conducted shows that “federal careers are natural fits for members of Generation Z, who often seek employers affecting positive change” but that misconceptions and the hiring process often dissuade them from even applying.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

The years-long effort to repeal a pair of controversial tax rules that negatively impact some federal workers’ retirement income got a boost Thursday in the form of the formal endorsement of the House Problem Solvers Caucus.

By Jory Heckman, Federal News Network

The Office of Personnel Management is defending a recently finalized rule meant to prevent the return of Schedule F — a Trump-era policy that made it easier to fire career federal employees in policymaking positions.

OPM’s acting director told the House Oversight and Accountability Committee that the re-emergence of such a policy would undermine civil service protections, and return the federal workforce to a 19th-century “spoils system” with major turnover.

Acting OPM Director Rob Shriver told lawmakers on Wednesday that the return of Schedule F would have a “chilling effect” on career federal employees, and prevent them from providing candid feedback on policy matters.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Anew group of experts on government and the civil service has formed to oppose conservative-led efforts to strip federal workers of their due process protections, as well as develop a new middle ground “consensus” for reforming federal personnel policy.

The Working Group to Protect and Reform U.S. Civil Service was devised by political scientist Francis Fukuyama, University of Maryland professor emeritus and former School of Public Policy Dean Don Kettl and administrative law scholar Paul Verkuil.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

House Republicans are proposing an average of 6% discretionary spending cuts to non-defense agencies for fiscal 2025, putting it on a collision course with the Democratic-led Senate that is seeking to avoid such reductions.

By Drew Friedman, Federal News Network

A few senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are digging in their heels on a federal telework bill, calling for more “accountability” of teleworking employees governmentwide.

On a list of bills HSGAC considered for advancement Wednesday morning, the Telework Transparency Act aims to paint a clearer picture of telework across agencies. But during the committee’s consideration of the legislation, more questions than answers came up among members.

Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive -

The class of 2024 is applying to more government jobs, according to a report released this month by a popular networking website for college students.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

A new bill from Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would cap all telework at 40% of an employee’s work hours, potentially endangering the federal government’s nascent remote work program.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Weeks following the news that Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja would step down, agency Deputy Director Rob Shriver has been appointed acting director of the federal government’s dedicated HR agency.

Shriver announced the news in a post on LinkedIn.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as acting director at [the] Office of Personnel Management,” he wrote. “I wouldn’t have this opportunity without the support of OPM’s outgoing director, Kiran Ahuja. Thank you, Kiran!”

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Anew report from the Congressional Budget Office found that a gap between the combined pay and benefits of federal workers and their private sector counterparts has nearly disappeared between 2015 and 2022, raising new questions about President Biden’s proposed 2% average pay raise for the federal workforce in 2025.

Federal policymakers generally rely on one of two reports comparing the compensation of federal and private sector workers. First is an annual analysis compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for review by the Federal Salary Council, which compares only the wages of similar jobs, is the preferred citation of Democrats and federal employee unions.

President Biden kicks off Public Service Recognition Week -

Our Nation’s over 20 million public servants work hard to deliver for our families, communities, and country. Their work matters to people’s everyday lives: They keep neighborhoods safe and the buses running, and build futures for people in their hometowns. They are the lifeblood of our democracy, acting as brave first responders, election workers, and service members defending our country. This week, we recognize our Nation’s public servants, who do the humble yet critical work of keeping our country running.

FEDweek -

The annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey will be sent out in two phases a week apart in mid-May, OPM has told agencies, calling the survey “one of the most powerful platforms for federal employees to have a voice in sharing their work experience, critical to achieving effective agencies and responsive public service in times of significant change and adaptation.”

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

A top Office of Management and Budget official on Tuesday defended the Biden administration’s approach to telework from continued Republican scrutiny of the workplace flexibility.

Asked to explain the White House’s position on telework before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, OMB Deputy Director for Management Jason Miller said that the current expectation is that “office workers” at federal agencies should generally be asked to spend at least half of their working hours at traditional work sites. Some agencies, however, deviate from that standard based on mission needs.

FEDweek -

OPM has issued (at www.chcoc.gov) further instructions to agencies on complying with a 2019 law that generally limits their requests for information about a federal job applicant’s criminal history prior to making a conditional job offer.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

AHouse panel has advanced a measure aimed at bringing more transparency to disciplinary action taken against Veterans Affairs Department employees, with supporters saying current practices sweep potential wrongdoing under the rug.

The results of any investigation into alleged wrongdoing by VA employees would be permanently noted in their records under the Personnel Integrity in Veterans Affairs Act, which the House VA Committee’s panel on Oversight and Investigations approved last week in a unanimous vote. The vote came after the committee has spent months investigating allegations of sexual harassment against several VA leaders, some of whom subsequently were reassigned, resigned or retired.

Mitchell Berger, MPH, FEDweek -

Some employees will sue their agencies and others may leave or quietly quit. Because such cases leave a publicly accessible paper trail, potential lessons can be learned from situations in which agencies face employee complaints and litigation.

Tammy Flanagan, Government Executive -

It’s important to know the difference between a postponed retirement and a deferred retirement. Experience is the worst teacher. It always gives the test first and the instruction afterward.” This is a quote by Vern Law who played 16 seasons pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. This is a relevant quote to start today’s column because it was through some very tough experiences that it was discovered that very important instructions were not followed that would allow lifetime insurance coverage under a postponed Minimum Retirement Age + 10 retirement.

OPM News Release

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced today that Director Kiran Ahuja will depart from her role in the next several weeks. Ahuja, the longest serving director in more than ten years, leaves a lasting legacy of rebuilding the OPM workforce, championing federal workers, and supporting federal agencies. Ahuja was confirmed as the first South Asian and first Asian American woman to lead the agency.

“Serving in the Biden-Harris Administration, and in support of the 2.2 million federal workers who dedicate themselves to the American people, has been the honor of my life,” said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. “From my time as a civil rights lawyer in the Department of Justice, to my years as OPM’s Chief of Staff, I’ve seen the power that public service has to change lives, rebuild communities, and make our nation stronger. We have accomplished so much these last three years at OPM, but I am most proud of the friendships and bonds we built together in public service. Thank you most to the OPM workforce for your service and dedication. We serve the people who serve the nation – and without you, our country could not move forward. Thank you.”

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

The Office of Personnel Management issued new guidance last week rescinding some forms of COVID-19-related administrative leave, but preserving four hours of paid leave for federal employees to get vaccine booster shots.

FedManager.com -

More than a quarter of the federal workforce (27 percent) reported that they “very often” or “always” feel burned out while on the job. Two in five say they “sometimes” feel burned out on the job, according to a Gallup study which surveyed 5,410 federal workers throughout 2023.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Lawmakers have proposed yet another bill aimed at improving transparency around federal agencies’ use of telework, this time requiring a number of data reporting changes already underway in government.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, last week announced the introduction of the bipartisan Telework Transparency Act (S. 4043). The bill requires that federal agencies publish the policies governing telework for their workforce on their websites, as well as establish automated systems to track employees’ utilization of the workforce flexibility, federal building occupancy data and any effects on agency performance.

Carten Cordell, Government Executive -

The Office of Personnel Management issued the final version of its regulation meant to safeguard the civil service from the return of a Trump-era policy that sought to convert most federal employees to at-will workers.

FMA strongly opposes the reintroduction of Schedule F, or any system that would remove merit protections and politicize a greater portion of the government.

Donald F. Kettl, Government Executive -

The unquestioned master of suspense, filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was especially fond of staging a MacGuffin, an element of the story that helped move the plot along but turned out to be insignificant to solving the case.

Jaime Kucinskas and James L. Perry, Government Executive -

It’s common for political candidates to disparage “the government” even as they run for an office in which they would be part of, yes, running the government.

FEDweek -

Following are key sections of a new proposal in which the House Republican Study Committee again recommends reducing federal employment protections and benefits. While the group—a caucus of conservatives—refers to the document as a “budget,” it plays no formal role in the congressional budget process. However, it does indicate positions favored by the large majority of House Republicans.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The Senate approved a $1.2 trillion spending package early Saturday shortly after a portion of the government was set to shut down, staving off the threat for the remainder of fiscal 2024.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

Lawmakers on Thursday unveiled the second and final spending package for fiscal 2024, with Congress now facing a tight timeline to pass the measure before funding expires at the end of the day Friday.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

Lawmakers on Thursday unveiled the second and final spending package for fiscal 2024, with Congress now facing a tight timeline to pass the measure before funding expires at the end of the day Friday.

The much-delayed spending bill includes funding for the departments of Defense, Treasury, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and State, as well as other agencies, and will be considered on Friday in one “minibus” package. Leadership in both chambers and parties, as well as President Biden, threw their support behind the measure.

The House is set to shorten its normal rule of providing 72 hours between a bill’s introduction and its vote to avoid a shutdown that would begin this weekend without congressional action. The Senate will then look to move swiftly, though all 100 senators must agree to vote on an expedited timeline.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The federal agencies facing a shutdown threat later this week would send home more than 600,000 employees if Congress fails to enact funding by Friday, furloughing them with only the promise of backpay.

Howard Risher, Government Executive -

The continued high turnover problem of TSA’s transportation security officers confirms an important lesson: pay increases have little impact on job satisfaction. The poor performers are more likely to stay if their salary is increased. Studies also show when everyone gets the same increase, it’s the high performers who leave. Pay is a factor in recruiting – both positive and negative – but, as the TSA experience shows, it’s not the answer for solving job vacancy problems.

FEDweek -

President Biden has issued an open letter to federal employees thanking them for their “tireless service on behalf of our country.”

Such letters are issued infrequently and sometimes are tied to a special occasion such as the late-year holidays or, as in this case, at the State of the Union address.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

President Biden unveiled nearly across-the-board spending bumps in his fiscal 2025 budget on Monday, though his proposal maintained a lower overall spending level as agreed to in recent budget deals.

Leo Shane III, Military Times -

With the fiscal 2024 budget for the federal government still unsettled, the White House will unveil plans for its fiscal 2025 spending plans on Monday, including proposed funding levels for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

President Biden’s fiscal 2025 budget proposal, released Monday, would institute an average 2.0% pay raise for federal civilian employees next year, a significant decrease from each of the last two years.

The figure marks a departure from the president’s 2023 and 2024 budgets, which proposed some of the largest pay increases federal workers had seen in decades. The 2023 average pay raise of 4.6% was the highest since the George W. Bush administration, while this year’s 5.2% average raise marked the largest since the Carter era.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

President Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at expanding federal agencies’ use of apprenticeship programs to attract and develop young federal workers, as well as reinstating agency labor-management forums that have largely sat dormant since 2017.

White House officials said the measure, entitled Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums, dovetails with the recent push by presidents of both parties to shift how federal agencies evaluate job candidates from a largely based on educational attainment to one that emphasizes applicants’ relevant skills and work experience.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

The House on Wednesday approved a spending package in a 339-85 vote to set spending levels for some agencies for the rest of fiscal 2024, sending the measure to the Senate with just two days before a partial shutdown.

The $460 billion “minibus,” which contains funding for the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Interior, Commerce and Justice, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and a few other agencies, won broad bipartisan support after months of delays and four stopgap bills to keep the government from closing its doors. The measures will force many agencies across government to absorb modest cuts relative to their current funding levels, though overall non-defense discretionary spending will remain flat.

Nancy Segal, FEDweek -

Like almost all positions in the federal government, positions in the Senior Executive Service (SES) are required to be posted on USAJOBS. The minimum posting time is 14 days, although many SES positions run longer.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

Lawmakers on Sunday evening released the first of two spending packages that will set funding levels for the remainder of fiscal 2024, with many agencies throughout government in line to absorb modest cuts.

The much delayed package, which includes funding for the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Interior, Commerce and Justice, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and a few other agencies, came together after Congress last week agreed to its fourth stopgap bill of the fiscal year. Lawmakers now have until Friday evening to approve the “minibus” package. After they do so, they will turn their attention to funding the rest of government by March 22.

Jacob Bogage and Marianna Sotomayor, The Washington Post -

Congressional leaders agreed Wednesday to a funding deal that would prevent a partial government shutdown this weekend, extending the expiration dates for federal finances until later in March as lawmakers iron out the final details of a $1.7 trillion spending package.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

President Biden will meet with the top House and Senate lawmakers on Tuesday as Democrats and Republicans are at a standstill over fiscal 2024 budget talks just a few days before funding expires for some agencies.

Senate Democrats and House Republicans pointed fingers at each other to start the week as progress toward a funding agreement stalled. The two sides previously agreed to the overall spending level for the remainder of the fiscal year and how to divvy up the money among the 12 must-pass annual spending bills, but have remained divided over the language in the final version of the measures.

By Steven Puckett, FedSmith

Some of the biggest perks to working for the government are the benefits that you not only have while you are working but also the ones that carry over into retirement. The primary benefits of concern for most federal employees are their health benefits (FEHB), dental, vision, and life insurance (FEGLI).

Health Benefits (FEHB)

Federal health benefits coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program is some of the best and most affordable in the nation. Part of the reason it is so affordable is that the government pays around 72% of the premiums for each plan, leaving the employee to pay the remainder.

FEDweek -

The Partnership for Public Service has suggested follow-up steps to OPM’s recent guidance to agencies on making fuller use of the probationary period for a newly hired federal employee, saying improving the use of that period “is a low-hanging fruit for holding agencies and federal employees accountable for performance and encouraging emerging best practices in skills-based hiring.”

FEDweek -

The House is set to recess later this week until after the first deadline to prevent what could be a two-stage partial government shutdown, without having addressed either regular spending bills or another temporary funding measure.

David DiMolfetta, Government Executive -

The U.S. Government Accountability Office was notified of a data breach by government tech contractor CGI Federal last month that impacted some 6,600 people, the GAO confirmed to Nextgov/FCW.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The Senate on Thursday moved one step closer to finally reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration and addressing the longstanding staffing issues that all parties and stakeholders have highlighted as reaching critical levels, though current employees are raising concerns the measure does not go far enough.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Apair of House Democrats on Monday introduced legislation aimed at ensuring victims of the 2015 Office of Personnel Management data breach remain protected for the rest of their lives.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., are the lead sponsors of the Reducing the Effects on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act (H.R. 7236). Last introduced in 2018, the measure would expand credit monitoring and identity protection services for the more than 21 million current and former federal workers and contractors whose Social Security numbers were exposed as part of multiple data breaches nearly a decade ago.

Molly Weisner, Federal Times -

As the Biden administration pushes for the government to be a “model employer,” inclusive and able to recruit competitively, lawmakers say they’re concerned that not enough federal employees are taking advantage of an important workplace benefit: paid family leave.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

The Office of Personnel Management on Friday set a deadline of October for agencies to comply with new federal regulations barring the federal government from using a job applicant’s salary history when setting their pay.

Earlier this week, OPM finalized regulations barring agencies from soliciting or otherwise relying on past compensation during the hiring and pay-setting process in most cases. The Biden administration also proposed similar rules this week that would ban the practice for federal contractors and subcontractors, though those would not take effect until at least April.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley announced Tuesday that beginning this spring, employees at the agency’s headquarters, regional offices and area director offices will be expected to show up for in-person work more frequently, as the new leader seeks to get a handle on operations.

Carten Cordell, Government Executive -

Agencies can’t use non-federal salaries to help set pay for new or returning federal employees, under a new rule from the Office of Personnel Management.

The Office of Personnel Management issued a final rule Monday limiting the criteria on which federal agencies can set salaries for new or returning federal civilian employees.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

Key congressional negotiators have reached an agreement on how to divvy up funding for the fiscal 2024 spending bills, clearing a major threshold that will allow appropriators to finalize those measures.

The deal, confirmed by a source familiar with talks, was hammered out after weeks of negotiations between Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, who respectively chair the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, and establishes how much money will be allocated to each of the 12 bills Congress must pass to fund government each year. With those allocations set, lawmakers can now complete their work of setting line-by-line funding for every program and office in agencies across government.

Glenn Davidson, Government Executive -

With nearly one million job openings across the federal government, agency leaders can help close existing workforce gaps by reimagining traditional hiring practices and embracing skills-based hiring initiatives. These efforts can broaden the talent pool and lower barriers to entry for public-sector roles by eliminating specific degree requirements.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive -

Updated Jan. 18 at 5:02 pm ET: Both houses of Congress on Thursday approved a two-tiered stopgap funding bill that kicked the shutdown deadlines into March, sending the measure to President Biden's desk just one day before the shuttering of some agencies.

The House acted quickly Thursday afternoon in a 314-108 vote after the Senate approved the bill earlier in the day. Lawmakers had until the end of the day Friday to avoid a shutdown for the first tranche of agencies that would have seen their funding expire. The measure moved without much drama despite some conservatives making an 11th hour push for tactics to delay the process past that timeframe.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The Senate on Tuesday approved in a 68-13 vote a first procedural step on a stopgap measure that will set up two March deadlines to fund the government, looking to once again avert a shutdown this week by punting on the appropriations process.

Jennifer Shutt, Government Executive -

House Speaker Mike Johnson committed Friday to following the topline spending agreement he struck with Democrats less than a week ago, following a day of speculation that he was preparing to walk away from the deal.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

The Office of Personnel Management made some of its best progress at reducing the number of pending retirement applications from federal workers last year, reducing the backlog by 34% in 2023 and breaking multiple recent records in the process.

Long a source of frustration for the governmental HR agency, lawmakers and retirees alike, OPM’s inventory of pending retirement claims has been plagued by delays due to the still largely paper-based nature of federal employment records, staffing issues and other challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many of these issues, as the backlog climbed to a high of more than 36,000 pending claims in March 2022.

By Jory Heckman, Federal News Network -

The Internal Revenue Service is answering more calls and providing help to taxpayers at levels not seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the National Taxpayer Advocate, in her annual report to Congress, is telling the IRS that “business as usual” isn’t good enough, and that the agency needs to keep improving its level of service to the public.

The annual report describes 2023 as a year of “extraordinary transition for the IRS” and taxpayers, and that with recent improvements in IRS operations, “despair has turned to cautious optimism.”

FEDweek -

Prospects have improved of avoiding what could be a two-phase partial government shutdown starting next Friday (January 19), following a bipartisan agreement among congressional leaders over agency spending levels for the current fiscal year.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later this month.

The agreement largely hews to spending caps for defense and domestic programs that Congress set as part of a bill to suspend the debt limit until 2025. But it does provide some concessions to House Republicans who viewed the spending restrictions in that agreement as insufficient.

In a letter to colleagues, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday the agreement would secure $16 billion in additional spending cuts from the previous agreement brokered by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden and is about $30 billion less than what the Senate was considering.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Telework at federal agencies continues to fuel better employee engagement and retention while creating cost savings in areas like real estate and energy, the Office of Personnel Management found in its latest report on the workplace flexibility.

Published last month, OPM’s annual report to Congress covers the 2022 fiscal year, which ended in September 2022, meaning it covers a period of time when agencies were developing and beginning implementation of re-entry plans after a two-year period of maximum telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, but before the Biden administration’s concerted push beginning last spring to increase “meaningful in-person work” across government.

Molly Weisner, Federal Times -

The Thrift Savings Plan, the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement plan, ended the year on a high note, with all five core funds yielding positive returns for the second straight month.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

The measure confirms that the federal workforce will see its largest pay increase in more than 40 years. As first proposed in his fiscal 2024 budget plan last March, the increase amounts to a 4.7% across-the-board boost to basic pay, alongside an average 0.5% increase in locality pay. As authorized in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which Biden is expected to sign this week, military service personnel also will see an average 5.2% pay raise next year.

FEDweek -

Following is a memo in which OPM told agencies to make “full use” of the probationary period, the (generally) one year period after federal employees are hired in which agencies evaluate them and may fire them without the legal protections that apply to employees who successfully complete the period.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The case was significantly delayed as the agency that initially hears federal worker appeals was non-functional for five years. The Supreme Court will issue a decision on a decade-old case regarding a federal employee whose agency furloughed him for six days in 2013, though the ruling is expected to be limited in scope and concern the timing of the challenge.

FEDweek -

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has received numerous questions regarding whether the Hatch Act restricts federal employees from expressing their views about the current conflict between Israel and Hamas and other related topics. OSC is therefore issuing this advisory opinion to inform federal employees of when and how the Hatch Act might apply to such speech. As detailed below, the relevant provision of the Hatch Act prohibits employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or in the federal workplace.

Carten Cordell, Government Executive -

The Biden administration issued an executive order Monday updating the committee tasked with establishing security policies for installations across the federal government, now including best practices for a mobile workforce.

Erich Wagner, Government Executive -

Under proposed regulations, the federal government’s HR agency would no longer need to approve waivers of traditional incentive payment caps in advance, potentially speeding up the hiring and relocation processes.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The Senate late Wednesday approved in an 87-11 vote a two-tiered stopgap spending measure, sending to President Biden’s desk a bill that will keep some agencies funded into January and others into February.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

Rather than end the threat of shutdowns, Congress is barreling toward a possible one three weeks away.

A majority of senators this week voted to end shutdowns forever, but the bill failed to gain the requisite support and the chamber has moved on toward passing its bipartisan annual funding bills.

FEDweek -

Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia has been named the Federal Employee of the Year in the annual Service to America Medals award, considered the top annual honor for career federal employees.