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Policy
Feds should get at least most backpay by Nov. 19, administration says
Lawmakers added a provision for full backpay after the White House suggested it might illegally prevent workers from getting their money.
Policy
OMB quietly deletes reference to law requiring back pay to furloughed feds
A White House FAQ now says restitution is only guaranteed to excepted employees forced to work without pay.
Policy
House NDAA would exempt Defense civilians from union ban
Two executive orders seek to ban federal unions on national-security grounds.
Policy
Thousands of Pentagon civilians and other feds are still waiting for their 2025 pay raise
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision last spring to shutter a slew of advisory committees has imperiled already-enacted pay raises for 60,000 federal employees in blue collar jobs.
Policy
Administration, unions trade lawsuits over ‘national security' order to reduce feds' rights
U.S. agencies have asked a Trump-appointed judge to uphold a ban on unions for Defense civilians and two-thirds of the federal workforce.
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Policy
Trump aims to outlaw most government unions on ‘national security’ grounds
White House says little-used provision allows the president to exempt most federal jobs from union protections.
Policy
Judge extends pause on ‘deferred-resignation’ offer
He wants more time to study plaintiffs' argument that the Trump-administration deal violates the law.
Policy
Feds shouldn't take ‘deferred resignation’ offer, warn employee groups, Democrats, experts
They say the purported severance package may lack a legal underpinning—and that Trump and Musk have been accused of reneging on promises to employees.
Policy
Trump offers a buyout to all Defense civilians, other federal workers
How such a massive "deferred resignation" program would work in practice is unclear, both logistically and legally.
Policy
Pentagon, agencies must end telework, remote work in 30 days, OPM says
There are exceptions for military spouses and employees with disabilities in the policy, which DOGE leaders have touted as a way to shrink the federal civilian workforce.
Policy
What Trump’s win means for the federal workforce
The Republican former president has vowed to remake the civil service in his image with the reinstatement of Schedule F.
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Policy
Trump calls federal workforce 'crooked,' vows to hold them 'accountable'
In an interview, the former president appeared to broaden his disdain for political appointees to federal workers in general.
Policy
Leaked training videos show civil service remains in Project 2025's crosshairs
The videos repeatedly stressed the need for more “political control” of agencies, though they stopped short of overtly discussing the Trump campaign or the Heritage Foundation-led transition project’s endorsement of Schedule F.
Policy
Senators take another crack at solving over-classification
The bipartisan Classification Reform for Transparency Act would establish a task force to narrow the criteria for classifying documents and make it harder for agencies to exempt records from automatic declassification.
Policy
'Fire every single mid-level bureaucrat': Vance on federal employees
Trump's new VP pick has taken aim at Defense Department civilians.
Policy
Senate advances 2% raise for defense civilians, 4.5% for military
An unusual White House proposal to give different raises drew early fire, but lawmakers are passing up opportunities to do anything about it.
Policy
Bush-era national security officials warn against politicizing civil service
In a letter to congressional committee staff directors, a cadre of former Republican appointees urged lawmakers to pursue a “middle ground” of federal employee accountability that preserves merit systems principles.
Policy
Deal will allow military spouses to telework from overseas
An agreement between the departments of Defense and State aims to ease unemployment among the spouses of servicemembers—and increase military families' quality of life.
Policy
Trump’s plan to purge federal employees draws fire
The former president's vow to gut civil-service protections at the Pentagon and elsewhere is "all about patronage and loyalty," one senator says.
Threats
‘Continuous vetting’ effort will expand to cover more defense civilians
After a successful pilot program, the government plans expand the background-check process to all “public trust” positions.
