This report provides an update on issues affecting federal managers. As always, I encourage you to visit www.fedmanagers.org on a regular basis for more information on these and other matters.

Also, be sure to look for the monthly FMA Grassroots Update, where we offer links to action letters and FMA-PAC matters we do not address in the Washington Report. The grassroots newsletter is sent exclusively to non-governmental email addresses to avoid any Hatch Act violations. If you are not receiving it, contact the national office to provide your non-governmental email address.

Please feel free to provide feedback any time by emailing Greg Stanford at gstanford@fedmanagers.org or by calling the National Office at (703) 683-8700. Thank you for your membership in FMA. It’s an honor to represent your interests before Congress and the administration.

Federal agencies are currently operating under a short-term continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Friday, December 16, 2022. Regrettably, negotiations on an omnibus appropriations bill to fully fund Fiscal Year 2023 remain at a standstill due to disagreements over top-line numbers. FY 2023 began more than two months ago, on October 1, 2022.

It is unclear what the path forward will look like, although the picture will become clearer as the week progresses. We have heard suggestions of a stopgap bill that would maintain current spending levels through the end of FY23 is in the works as a “last resort” to avert a shutdown if an agreement on an omnibus cannot be reached.

Congressional conferees released the negotiated conference report for the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week. The House passed the $847 billion measure by a vote of 350-80, and we expect the Senate to approve it and President Biden to sign it into law.

FMA supports the bill, which includes $817 billion for the Defense Department and approximately $30 billion to fund nuclear activities in the Department of Energy. The NDAA, which has passed every year for more than sixty years, provides the blueprint for how funds will be allocated within the DOD. This year’s NDAA includes a 4.6 percent pay raise for both service members and the agency’s civilian workforce.

Today, Monday, December 12, is the last day to make changes for the 2023 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, including health, dental and vision insurance, and flexible spending accounts. Be sure to make any changes while you still can.

FEHB Plan Comparison Tool

OPM has a useful FEHB plan comparison tool, where you can compare different plans according to their costs, coverage, and other considerations. To access the tool, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/compare-plans/.

President Biden proposed a 4.6 percent pay raise for 2023, the largest increase in twenty years. The raise is split between a 4.1 percent increase to basic pay and an average 0.5 percent increase to locality pay. While it is less than the 5.1 percent raise FMA supported as part of the FAIR Act, particularly in light of inflation and increases to health insurance premiums, we are pleased with the 4.6 percent across-the-board boost for 2023.

Congress could override the 4.6 percent raise, which Biden formalized in his alternative pay plan released in August, but that appears highly unlikely. Rather, we expect President Biden will issue an executive order later this month to finalize the pay plan by the end of the year. The Office of Personnel Management will then publish the pay tables for the new year.

On December 9, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja released an updated Governmentwide Dismissal and Closure Procedures document to “assist agencies during emergencies, severe weather conditions, natural disasters, and other incidents or hazards that cause disruptions to Government operations.” Click here to read the updated guidance, or visit FMA’s Resources and Links page.

“In the Washington, D.C. area, OPM issues operating status announcements that apply to employees working in all Executive agencies with offices located inside the ‘Washington Capital Beltway,’” Ahuja wrote. “In the event of an area-wide work disruption, agencies should avoid taking independent action, because changes in the commuting hours of Federal employees can result in significant disruption of the highway and mass transit systems.” The memo notes announcements on the status of government operations in the DC area will be available on the OPM website and the mobile app.

We are hard at work putting together FMA’s 2023 legislative agenda and issue briefs. On November 15 we hosted an open discussion on Zoom on current issues we are working on and to solicit input on issues FMA members would like us to address on behalf of federal managers in 2023.

We will be sending FMA members the draft executive summary of the 2023 Issue Briefs soon, so please be on the lookout in your email. Your feedback and suggestions are invaluable as the process continues.

This is the last Washington Report of 2022. We would like to take a moment to thank you for your membership in FMA and to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season. We look forward to working on behalf of you and your fellow managers in the new year.