Trump administration voids union contracts signed in the last month

In the order issued Friday night, Trump said any last-minute, collective bargaining agreements try to bind a new president to his predecessor's policies.

  • Any new contract with federal unions signed toward the end of the Biden administration are null and void under a new memo from the White House. In President Donald Trump's order issued Friday night, he said any last-minute, lame-duck collective bargaining agreements try to bind a new president to his predecessor's policies and that is illegal. Specifically, Trump is referring to the contract the Social Security Administration signed with the American Federal of Government Employees, which guaranteed employees telework and remote work for five years. AFGE said approved union contracts are enforceable by law, and the President does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to those agreements.
  • If enough federal employees opt for a deferred resignation, the Social Security Administration will be one of the hardest hit agencies, according to Senate Democrats. A group of lawmakers wrote a letter to Trump administration officials to question how they plan to measure SSA’s ability to deliver Social Security benefits in the face of employee resignations. The Democrats said the agency already has a staffing shortage. They warn that more employees leaving will impede SSA’s ability to deliver services to the public. SSA is facing a 25-year staffing low and a rapidly rising number of beneficiaries.
    (Letter to OPM on deferred resignations - Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.))
  • The Defense Department cancels celebrations of all cultural awareness events, including Black History Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, Women’s History Month and Pride Month. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week “efforts to put one group ahead of another erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.” The Defense Department won’t use its official resources, including man-hours for these events, but service members can celebrate “in an unofficial capacity outside of duty hours.”
  • House and Senate Democrats are pushing back against the Trump administration’s latest attempt to cut down the federal workforce. Democratic lawmakers said a planned 70% cut to the Office of Personnel Management’s workforce will have “disastrous consequences” for federal employees and the U.S. more broadly. Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), ranking member of the subcommittee overseeing OPM’s budget, called the effort “likely illegal.” On Friday, Trump administration leaders directed OPM officials to begin making plans to significantly reduce the agency’s workforce and programs. A 70% cut would likely impact OPM’s Retirement Services department, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits program.
  • A bi-partisan group of lawmakers are trying to shine a brighter light on why an agency cancels a small business solicitation after receiving bids The Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act, introduced by Congressmen George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Mark Alford (R-Mo.) and Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), would require the Small Business Administration to issue regulations that would mandate agencies explain why they cancelled a solicitation after they have received offers. The bill also would require an agency’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) to help small businesses seek additional opportunities if a solicitation on which they made an offer is canceled. The lawmakers said too often when an agency cancels a small business solicitation after receiving bids, they offer few details as to why.
  • Service members can no longer get their travel expenses reimbursed to access reproductive health care. The Defense Travel Management Office removed a section from the Joint Travel Regulations that previously authorized travel allowances for service members and their dependents seeking reproductive health care services, including abortion and in-vitro fertilization. The Biden-era travel policy allowed service members to take up to three weeks of leave and covered transportation, lodging, and food costs to access off-base reproductive health care. Last year, the Pentagon said the travel policy was only used 12 times and cost the department approximately $50,000.
  • A top House Democrat wants a list of White House officials who have been granted a top-secret security clearance without a background investigation. Oversight and Accountability Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is pressing the White House counsel’s office for the new clearance policy. President Donald Trump directed that any executive office of the president officials be immediately granted a clearance citing delays with background investigations. Connolly said the policy ignores the potential for insider threats and other national security concerns.
    (Connolly letter to White House on security clearances - Office of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.))
  • The Transportation Security Administration’s facial recognition technology is coming under new scrutiny. The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is auditing TSA’s growing use of facial recognition at airport checkpoints. In a Jan. 29 letter to Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said his office will review whether TSA’s use of the technology has improved its screening operations while still protecting passenger privacy. Merkley and other lawmakers requested the audit citing concerns about privacy and civil liberties.
    (TSA response to Merkley - Office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.))

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