Pay & Benefits

• Feds retire in droves in January

  Federal employees retired in droves last month, with more than 22,000 filing retirement claims with the Office of Personnel Management -- about about 1,000 more than OPM expected. The agency processed 12,527 retirement claims last month, also beating its projections.

  All News

  February 05, 2013
• Furloughs: So, who’s in charge?

  Thanks to top government officials, we now have the definitive answer as to whether the government will have a series of furloughs and if so how they will work. The answer is either yes or no. There seems to be a little confusion at the top, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

  Mike Causey

  February 05, 2013
• Will federal pay freeze rear its head again?

  With the House postponing a vote on extending the federal pay freeze, feds are back on course to get a slight pay increase in March — for the first time in two years. But Andrew Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and an expert on public-sector compensation, says that the pressing budget issues the government faces means the issue of federal pay probably isn't going anywhere.

  All News

  February 04, 2013
• Furloughs, paychecks & pensions

  By now, most federal workers know that should there be a furlough it will mean a 20 percent pay cut. But are their retirement benefits in danger too? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says not to worry.

  Mike Causey

  February 04, 2013
• TSP returns hold steady through January

  The Thrift Savings Plan began 2013 almost exactly how it left off last year. All the regular funds — with the exception of the F Fund, made up of government bonds — and all the target-date Lifecyle Funds posted in positive territory for the month of January.

  Pay & Benefits

  February 01, 2013
• Term limits, now

  Thanks to congressional redistricting, many members of the House of Representatives have jobs for life if they choose to keep running for reelection. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wonders: Is it maybe time for term limits for everybody?

  Mike Causey

  February 01, 2013
• Would furloughs slow recession recovery?

  Much of the media is treating the threat of a 22-day federal furlough as if it were a sporting event, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But this is big-time, heavy economic stuff. A revenue-choker for struggling state and local governments and a possible threat to economic recovery.

  Mike Causey

  January 31, 2013
• Shutdown, furlough, what next?

  Federal Managers Association President Pat Niehaus and Federal Times reporters Steve Losey and Sean Reilly join host Mike Causey to talk about sequestration and other issues affecting feds. January 30, 2013

  Mike Causey

  January 30, 2013
• Earthquake, derecho, hurricane – fine! Snow, not so much …

  Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wants to know: Is it geography, topography, history or location that makes Washington — your headquarters town — such a nervous city in the winter? Or, is it the number of lawyers, government workers or tourists that make getting around town so tough, and us so cautious?

  Mike Causey

  January 30, 2013
• A weather tale of two cities

  To the vast majority of feds who work beyond the Beltway, the people at headquarters (that would be Washington, D.C.) are a bunch of out-of-touch wimps. Especially when it snows, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. So are they right, or missing the point?

  Mike Causey

  January 29, 2013
• 20 percent pay cut in the cards?

  Many federal workers, fed up with pay freezes and budget teasers, are hoping for a buyout that will let them depart with a cash bonus. But in reality most feds are more likely to get a pay cut than a buyout, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

  Mike Causey

  January 28, 2013
• Can East Meet West at Interior?

  If you want to be secretary of the Interior, the first thing you do is make sure you are born west of the Mississippi, preferably in California, Arizona, New Mexico or Colorado, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. So what does that do to the job chances of Maryland-born, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry who is said to be on the short-list for the Interior job?

  Mike Causey

  January 25, 2013
• Survivor Island: 2013

  If you want to survive the next four years of service with a new political boss, there are six tips you need to know and practice. Remember he or she is temporary, but be sure you outlast the boss, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

  Mike Causey

  January 24, 2013
• What’s next for feds?

  Carol Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives Association, discusses what the next few weeks, and the next four years, will be like for political appointees and federal workers. January 23, 2013

  Mike Causey

  January 23, 2013