Workforce

• House GOP leaders vow to undo $80B to rebuild IRS if party regains majority

  Barely a month after the IRS got $80 billion to rebuild its workforce and upgrade its legacy IT, House Republican leaders are making repealing this funding their top legislative priority ahead of this November's elections.

  Budget

  September 23, 2022
• New learning agenda may not be enough to actually improve agency performance

  The Office of Management and Budget last week released what it called a learning agenda for federal agencies. It's the research they need to do to answer big questions. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with someone who wonders whether the learning agenda actually gets to the root challenge of agency performance: Bob Tobias, professor in the Key Executive Leadership Program at American University.

  Management

  September 23, 2022
• Air Force meets 2022 recruiting goal, but faces myriad short and long-term challenges

  The Air Force barely met its 2022 recruiting goal for the active duty force, and had to use unusual measures to pull it off. The reserve components face bigger challenges.

  Air Force

  September 23, 2022
• Pentagon to boost housing stipends in areas where rental costs have ballooned

  Areas where rents have risen the most will get an immediate boost in October, others could see additional increases in January.

  Defense

  September 22, 2022
• DOJ finds VA employees can’t be sued by states for providing agency-approved abortions

  The Justice Department is telling the Department of Veterans Affairs that state government officials cannot pursue criminal or civil charges against its employees for performing abortions.

  Veterans Affairs

  September 22, 2022
• You’re fired! No, you’re not. Hold it, wait a minute…

  The case of a dismissed VA chaplain shows how long it can take to resolve an appealed firing.

  Federal Report

  September 22, 2022
• USPS awards 3% pay raise to non-bargaining management employees

  The Postal Service is giving its supervisors, managers and postmasters a pay raise that will hit their paychecks starting in October.

  Pay

  September 22, 2022
• House heightens calls to change feds’ Social Security benefits, workplace safety plans

  House committees advanced bills to repeal Social Security offset provisions, and to require agencies to create safety plans for future public health emergencies.

  Congress

  September 21, 2022
• An unprecedented case arises on the status of a union of Park Service employees

  The Federal Labor Relations Authority has to hear an unprecedented case, in for review. Normally, once a federal union is certified, no decertification vote can occur for at least a year. The question is: can a decertification vote take place within a year, if the original certification occurred without a vote in the first place?

  Unions

  September 21, 2022
• National Guard recruitment challenges grow over refusals to comply with COVID vaccine mandate

  The National Guard is looking to boost incentives to join, but expects it may need to discharge up to 14,000 personnel over the next two years who have refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

  Hiring/Retention

  September 21, 2022
• USDA focuses on employee experience

  The Agriculture Department's chief human capital officer shares her thoughts on how to keep employee satisfaction high.

  Workforce

  September 21, 2022
• Inspiration was on parade at the Sammies

  Awardees show how a few people can affect thousands, even millions, in a positive way.

  Tom Temin Commentary

  September 21, 2022
• CIA aims to decrease median hiring time ‘by orders of magnitude’ by December

  A leader at the Directorate of Digital Innovation predicts that the CIA's median hiring time will have dropped by “orders of magnitude” by this December.

  Intelligence Community

  September 20, 2022
• Union organizers gain access to contractors working on government projects

  Contractors working in buildings controlled by the General Services Administration might get buttonholed by a union organizer. That's allowed now under a rule the GSA just finalized. What do contractor executives think about that? The Federal Drive with Tom Temin talks about that with Stephanie Kostro, the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council.

  Contracting

  September 20, 2022