Tag

Federal Workforce

All articles tagged with #federal workforce

politics-and-culture6 days ago•11 min saved

Lewis’s New Book Exposes the Human Cost of DOGE’s Government Purges

Michael Lewis’s new book, 'Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State,' chronicles the destruction of the U.S. civil service by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The book profiles six federal employees who resisted Musk’s cuts, highlighting the contrast between competent public servants and inexperienced DOGE operatives. It reveals how figures like Francis Collins and IRS officials were forced out or coerced, arguing that this purge will harm the government for decades.

via slate.com|

#book-review #doge #elon-musk

health-policy22 days ago•2 min saved

FDA's post-DOGE hiring push slowed by bureaucracy

The FDA is signaling a major recruitment drive to rebuild after Elon Musk's DOGE Service slashed thousands of workers, aiming to add more than 2,000 staff, but bureaucratic delays are slowing the process and tempering the agency's rebuilding efforts.

via STAT|

#bureaucratic-delays #doge #fda

politics24 days ago•1 min saved

GAO Finds Billions in Exit Pay Tied to Trump’s Push to Shrink Federal Workforce

A GAO audit reports the Trump administration’s aggressive effort to shrink the federal workforce included a $6.7 billion paid-exit program for workers who quit, part of a broader push that cut the federal headcount by about 300,000 (13%) since 2024 to its smallest size in nearly two decades. The administration touts hundreds of billions in savings, while critics warn the strategy eroded expertise and left agencies understaffed.

via Politico|

#exit-payments #federal-workforce #gao

politics24 days ago•392 min saved

GAO: Federal paid-leave bill tops $9.5B as downsizing push takes hold

A Government Accountability Office report finds the Trump-era push to shrink the federal government coincided with a 435% jump in paid administrative leave, totaling about $9.5 billion last year. Roughly $6.7 billion of that came from a deferred resignation program that paid about 140,000 workers who agreed to quit in 2025 through September. The White House did not comment. The GAO notes cost estimates are uncertain and tied to workforce-reduction efforts, while data show the federal workforce has declined by more than 271,000 since 2015 as of July.

via NBC News|

#deferred-resignation #elon-musk #federal-workforce

politics27 days ago•2 min saved

Court blocks Trump plan to shrink FEMA workforce, preserves agency independence

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration overstepped its authority by ordering cuts to FEMA’s temporary reservists, blocking moves to shrink the agency’s workforce and its control over disaster response; the decision upholds FEMA’s independence post-Katrina, with a separate ruling on potential remedies expected next month.

via aljazeera.com|

#dhs #disaster-response #federal-workforce

politics4 months ago•3 min saved

Trump Reclassifies 8,000 Senior Federal Posts to Boost Accountability

Trump signs an executive order reclassifying about 8,000 senior policy-influencing federal roles as Schedule Policy/Career, making them at-will and enabling swifter removal for poor performance, misconduct, or subversion while preserving nonpartisan hiring; most of these are GS-15 or Senior Level positions such as directors and senior policy officials; the move is pitched as restoring accountability and reducing red tape in the federal workforce, building on EO 13957 and contrasting with Biden-era policies.

via The White House (.gov)|

#accountability #executive-order #federal-workforce

politics4 months ago•181 min saved

Trump signs order converting about 8,000 federal policy roles to at-will status

President Trump signed an executive order reclassifying roughly 8,000 senior federal policy positions into a new Schedule Policy/Career category, allowing agencies to fire these employees without the usual due-process protections. The move is part of a broader push to reshape the federal workforce, but has spurred lawsuits and criticism that it politicizes civil service; Democrats and watchdogs say it undermines accountability, while supporters say it improves policy execution. Biden had previously halted a similar Schedule F effort, and ongoing legal challenges question the policy’s legality and impact on federal services.

via CNN|

#at-will-employees #civil-service #executive-order

politics4 months ago•4 min saved

PTSD-Like Struggles Hit Federal Probationary Workers After Unlawful Firings

A survey of more than 300 fired federal probationary workers finds 95% report ongoing mental health effects, with about half showing PTSD-like symptoms and many taking new medications. Respondents across 43 states and 12 agencies describe instability, job loss, and lower pay in new roles. A federal judge ruled the terminations unlawful but did not require reinstatement, and related court cases continue as the government faces accountability for the firings and the loss of scientific expertise.

via The Guardian|

#civil-service #federal-workforce #politics

politics4 months ago•3 min saved

CFPB’s DC Office Move Triggers Fears of Mass Departures

The CFPB is rolling out a four-part return-to-office plan that moves operations to a new Southwest Washington, DC office, with roughly 650 staff within 50 miles required to report by July 13 and the remaining 450 by Aug 31; the new site has space for about 550, raising fears of mass resignations or terminations and prompting union opposition and court scrutiny as litigation by the NTEU and others unfolds.

via Bloomberg Law News|

#cfpb #federal-workforce #politics

politics5 months ago•6 min saved

Sammies narrow to four amid federal workforce upheaval

The Partnership for Public Service narrowed 2026’s Service to America Medals (the Sammies) to four honorees, down from prior years, citing upheaval in the federal workforce—including the loss of more than 300,000 federal employees—and a strained White House–career staff relationship that reduced nominations. Honorees include Gharun Lacy (State) for stopping a China-linked cyberattack, James Szykman (EPA) for collaborating with NASA on the TEMPO satellite to monitor air pollution, Jill Frisch (formerly IRS) for tax-revenue recovery through litigation, and Ransom Baldwin, Curtis Van Tassell, and Paul VanRaden (USDA) for dairy cattle genetics research improving milk production and animal health. The awards will be presented during Public Service Recognition Week at the National Museum of the American Indian, marking the 25th anniversary of the Sammies.

via Politico|

#civil-service #federal-workforce #politics

government6 months ago•5 min saved

OPM chief backs growing federal ranks by cutting contractors

OPM Director Scott Kupor told lawmakers he would be “perfectly happy” to hire more federal employees if agencies cut the use of contractors, arguing the current contractor workforce acts as a costly “shadow” and that shifting dollars to federal headcount could save taxpayers and improve services. Agencies are being asked to publish annual staffing plans balancing contractor and federal staff needs, while continuing to fill key talent gaps and expand early-career recruitment via initiatives like Tech Force; Kupor also signaled support for a stronger performance-management system to speed up removals of underperformers.

via Federal News Network|

#contractors #early-career #federal-workforce

politics7 months ago•26 min saved

Trump administration restarts hiring push to reshape the federal bureaucracy

A year after purging hundreds of federal employees, the Trump administration is ramping up federal hiring under new rules intended to give the White House greater sway over the roughly 2-million-person civilian workforce, signaling a new phase in reshaping the federal bureaucracy.

via The Washington Post|

#bureaucracy-reform #federal-workforce #hiring

government7 months ago•5 min saved

OPM pushes merit-first layoffs in federal workforce

OPM proposes changing federal RIF rules to prioritize performance over tenure, creating a 'retention register' that rewards high performers (and adds veterans’ preference points) while tie-breaks favor longer service; temporary and time-limited staff would be exempt from RIFs. If finalized, the shakeup would streamline layoffs but critics say it risks arbitrary, politically motivated firings and further politicizing the civil service as the administration pushes broader personnel changes.

via Federal News Network|

#federal-workforce #government #opm

politics8 months ago•7 min saved

White House moves to reclassify federal workers and curb civil-service protections

The Office of Personnel Management finalized Schedule Policy/Career to reclassify about 50,000 career federal employees, stripping civil-service protections and the ability to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board; implementation won’t start for at least 30 days as agencies submit lists for White House review, where final decisions will rest. Critics warn it politicizes the federal workforce and may invite lawsuits, with unions and Democratic lawmakers pledging to push back while whistleblower investigations shift to individual agencies.

via Federal News Network|

#civil-service #federal-workforce #partisanship-in-government

politics8 months ago•3 min saved

Administration broadens ability to remove senior federal officials

The Office of Personnel Management finalized a rule reclassifying certain senior career federal employees so they can be fired with less due process, treating them more like political appointees while preserving merit-based hiring and whistleblower protections; unions criticized the move as weakening civil-service protections and risking increased political patronage.

via NBC News|

#civil-service-reform #federal-workforce #opm