• The Federal Aviation Administration is giving 776 air traffic controllers and technicians a $10,000 bonus for working during the 44-day partial government shutdown. The bonuses will be sent to those employees who maintained perfect attendance during the shutdown. Recipients will receive an automated notification this week and receive their payment no later than December 9. The FAA's decision to offer bonuses to employees follows a similar effort by the Transportation Security Administration to reward transportation security officers who also worked during the government shutdown.
  (776 FAA employees to receive $10k bonus for working during shutdown - Federal Aviation Administration)
• The Agriculture Department is detailing how employees can express religion in the workplace. USDA leaders said employees are allowed to display religious items or form prayer groups at the office. Employees can also request different work schedules for religious observances, daily prayers or fasting periods. USDA will draw the line if employees start pushing unwelcome advances of discussing religion with coworkers. The new memo comes after President Trump ordered agencies to protect “religious expression” in the workplace.
  (USDA issues guidance to protect religious expression in the federal workplace - Agriculture Department)
• A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants the Defense Department to overhaul how it screens service members transitioning out of the military for mental health conditions. A new bill titled the Medical Integrity in Necessary Diagnostics (MIND) for Our Veterans Act of 2025, would require DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs to only use validated, evidence-based tools for screening PTSD, alcohol misuse and violence risk during the separation process. Lawmakers said the current health assessments lack standardized and validated mental health screening, which undermines early identification and intervention efforts. The bill also pushes the department to consider adding a substance-use screening, citing its close link to mental health challenges.
  (Lawmakers seek to overhaul DoD mental health screenings for service members leaving - Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.))
• Two lawmakers want to fully exempt military pay from federal income tax. The Service Members Tax Relief Act seeks to eliminate federal income tax on all active-duty and reserve pay, as well as enlistment, retention, education bonuses and all special and incentive pays. The new bill goes well beyond previous tax-exemption proposals, which largely focus on exempting different types of bonuses from federal income tax. The lawmakers also introduced the Tax Cuts for Veterans Act of 2025, which would exclude all military retirement pay and veterans’ benefits from federal income taxes.
  (New bill seeks to exempt military pay from federal income tax - Federal News Network)

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• The Federal Communications Commission reversed cybersecurity rules for telecommunications providers that were put forward following the sweeping “Salt Typhoon” hacks. In a 2-to-1 decision, the FCC rescinded a ruling and proposed rules last January that would've required telecom operators to secure their networks under Section 105 of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. The commission said its previous ruling and proposed rule was based on flawed legal analysis and they proposed ineffective cybersecurity requirements. The FCC said its ruling comes after months of discussions with telecommunications providers about steps they have taken to harden their cyber defenses. Additionally, the FCC said it has taken other steps including creating a Council on National Security to improve communication with critical infrastructure sectors.
  (FCC reverses cyber rules that came from Salt Typhoon attack - Federal Communications Commission)
• The Trump administration said it’s finished the process of rescinding the reductions-in-force agencies issued during the government shutdown. That’s thanks to a provision in the continuing resolution that reopened the government last month. Language in the measure required agencies to treat those RIF notices as null and void, and notify the affected employees within five days. Court filings show agencies issued RIF notices to more than 3,600 people during the shutdown.
  (Trump administration says it’s finished rescinding RIFs agencies issued during the government shutdown - Federal News Network)
• The Merit Systems Protection Board is moving to a different location for its office in the national capital region. The former MSPB office in Arlington, Virginia, will be relocated to a building in downtown Washington, D.C. The move took place in mid-November for D.C.-based agency employees. MSPB said any feds with pending cases before the board don’t need to take action in response to the office move.
  (MSPB Washington Regional Office has moved - Merit Systems Protection Board)
• The chief information officer at the IRS appears to be taking the next steps in a reorganization after losing more than 25% of its staff earlier this year. In an email sent last week, the agency directed its IT workforce to complete a “technical skills assessment.” The agency’s CIO said the assessment is “not a performance rating,” and that individual results will not affect employees’ pay or grade.
  (IRS CIO directs IT workforce to complete "technical skills assessment" - Federal News Network)

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