Don Beyer

A bicameral pair of lawmakers have reintroduced legislation for the sixth consecutive year now, which would ensure employees get a federal pay raise in 2021.

In today’s Federal Newscast, four out of five members of the National Treasury Employees Union say they’re starting to worry about the impact of a potential government shutdown on their finances.

Federal employees will have up to 12 weeks of paid leave for the birth, adoption or foster of a new child starting in October 2020, if Congress passes and the president signs the annual defense policy bill into law.

In today’s Federal Newscast, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) updated their whistleblower guide, describing how federal employees in specific agencies can safely share information with inspectors general and the press.

Lawmakers have asked Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to allow employees impacted by the upcoming USDA relocation to use telework and other flexibilities to alleviate the burdens of the move to Kansas City. USDA and the American Federation of Government Employees are expected to continue bargaining negotiations over those flexibilities this week.

In a letter to acting OPM Director Margaret Weichert, Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) questioned why the administration didn’t warn Congress earlier about the agency’s coming financial challenges.

In today’s Federal Newscast, President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week directing federal agencies to cut at least one-third of all federal advisory committees.

Federal contractors said the recent government shutdown was marked by confusion, lack of communication and unclear guidance from agencies about their responsibilities.

Until the Trump administration provides more details about its plans to reorganize the Office of Personnel Management, Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee are urging appropriators to prohibit funds for the proposed merger.

House Democrats have again reintroduced legislation that would guarantee paid family leave for federal employees to care for a new child or sick family member. This time, the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act would guarantee up to 12 weeks of time.