James Lankford

Senators want to know if federal contractors are actually complying E-Verify rule

In today’s Federal Newscast, three senior Republican Senators are calling on the Government Accountability Office to look into whether federal contractors…

Federal Newscast

Delta variant has forced some agencies to adjust return-to-work plans

Federal Newscast

(Erin Scott/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Chairman Sen. Gary Peters., D-Mich., speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs & Senate Rules and Administration joint hearing on Capitol Hill, Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, to examine the January 6th attack on the Capitol. (Erin Scott/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

First Look

Senators introduce bill to incentivize agencies to lease space they don’t need

Facilities/Construction

Senators reintroduce bill to end shutdowns, bring awareness to one potentially coming

Federal Newscast

FILE - This May 25, 2021, file photo shows a U.S. Passport cover in Washington. Americans hoping to travel abroad this summer may have to delay their plans if they need new or renewed passports. The State Department said Wednesday that the wait for a passport is now between 12 weeks and 18 weeks, even if you pay for expedited processing. That’s because of ripple effects from the coronavirus pandemic that caused extreme disruptions to the process at domestic issuance facilities and overseas embassies and consulates. (AP Photo/Eileen Putman, File)

State Dept. staffing surge won’t address passport backlog overnight, union warns

Hiring/Retention

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Light shines on the U.S. Capitol dome early Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The White House endorsed an emerging bipartisan agreement Monday on legislation aimed at curbing rising health care costs, including taking steps to limit “surprise” medical bills that can plague patients treated in emergency rooms. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Congress calls for workforce safety plans for agencies, reskilling oversight and more

Congress

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Kiran Ahuja, the nominee to be Office of Personnel Management Director, appears before a Senate Governmental Affairs Committee hybrid nominations hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Ahuja vows to bring stable leadership to OPM after years of turnover at the top

Workforce

OMB nominees pledge to break down federal hiring barriers

Management

Neera Tanden testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee on her nomination to become the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), during a hearing Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Leigh Vogel/Pool via AP)

IT modernization is a priority for Biden’s OMB pick, but she acknowledges funding challenges

Management

telework, work from home, home office, federal employees

Telework may be the recruitment and retention solution agencies — and Congress — are looking for

Workforce

In this Aug. 13, 2019, photo, Dr. Jasmine Saavedra, left, a pediatrician at Esperanza Health Centers in Chicago, hands newborn Alondra Marquez to her mother, Esthela Nuñez, right, after examination. Doctors and public health experts warn of poor health outcomes and rising costs they say will come from sweeping changes that would deny green cards to many immigrants who use Medicaid, as well as food stamps and other forms of public assistance. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky)

OPM sheds more light on new paid parental leave for feds

Federal Newscast

Law firm says feds may be entitled to compensation for COVID exposure

In today’s Federal Newscast, a Washington D.C. attorney says hundreds of thousands of federal employees are potential plaintiffs in this class action suit.

Federal Newscast

FILE - In this June 17, 2016 file photo, U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., speaks to the new Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officers during their graduation ceremony in Edmond, Okla. Lankford and Oklahoma's four incumbent GOP U.S. House members who face challengers in this year's general election all have massive fundraising advantages and are heavy favorites in next month's general election. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Lankford: Time to ‘reinvent the wheel’ on telework in federal workforce

A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee is holding a series of hearings to collect best practices on telework, which members say…

Workforce

family leave, parental leave, maternity leave, working mom

House committee clears NDAA with federal paid parental leave fix

Benefits

The House Armed Services Committee easily passed its version of the 2021 defense authorization bill Wednesday night. The bill contains provisions needed to guarantee paid parental leave coverage to Federal Aviation Administration, Veterans Health Administration and other federal employees left out of the original law.