Last week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined a plan that would halt federal funding for healthcare providers who offer gender-affirming care to minors.

The DOJ’s recent publication of Epstein files came under scrutiny for a high number of redactions and a missed Dec. 19 deadline for their full release.

House Democrats are urging the Transportation Security Administration to abandon efforts to do away with a collective bargaining agreement covering some 47,000 TSA airport screeners. In a Dec. 23 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, 12 Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee say they have “deep concern” about the latest attempt to overturn TSA’s union agreement. The letter signees include Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and subcommittee on transportation and maritime security Ranking Member LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.). Their letter points to an ongoing case in federal court over the Department of Homeland Security’s directive to end TSA’s collective bargaining agreement. The judge in that case issued a preliminary injunction in June blocking DHS’s previous efforts to dissolve the agreement. “DHS’s renewed effort to unilaterally void a valid, seven-year collective bargaining agreement – without a resolution to the pending litigation – displays a clear and flagrant disregard for the rule of law and workers’ rights,” the lawmakers write. TSA has said it plans to eliminate the collective bargaining agreement and implement a new “labor framework” for the agency starting Jan. 11. The American Federation of Government Employees represents most TSA staff under the 2024 collective bargaining agreement. AFGE joined with several unions in filing the lawsuit challenging DHS’s prior attempt to dissolve the CBA. Lawyers representing DHS in federal court recently filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that Noem’s new September determination to end TSA union rights is based on “an entirely different supporting record and data unavailable” at the time of Noem’s previous directive, which led to the court case and the preliminary injunction. AFGE’s lawyers have since countered with an emergency motion to enforce the preliminary injunction. They argue DHS is attempting to “evade the court’s injunction.” The judge overseeing the case recently directed the parties to confer on a briefing schedule for the emergency injunction. The Trump administration has sought to do away with most federal employee unions. At DHS, leaders have argued that collective bargaining for TSA officers “is inconsistent with efficient stewardship of taxpayer dollars and impedes the agility required to secure the traveling public,” according to TSA’s statement on the new labor framework. “Our Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) need to be focused on their mission of keeping travelers safe not wasting countless hours on non-mission critical work,” Adam Stahl, senior official performing the duties of TSA deputy administrator, said as part of a press release. “Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, we are ridding the agency of wasteful and time-consuming activities that distracted our officers from their crucial work.” But in their letter, House Democrats argue that the 2024 union agreement was negotiated “in good faith to address long-standing issues at TSA, such as high attrition rates, inconsistent workplace policies, and the lack of a proper system for employees to voice safety and operational concerns.” “Eliminating collective bargaining protections for TSOs will not improve efficiency or security,” they wrote. “It will silence workers who are best positioned to identify safety risks, exacerbate attrition at a time of ongoing staffing challenges, and ultimately make air travel less safe for the American public.”The post House Dems urge TSA to preserve collective bargaining agreement first appeared on Federal News Network.

Federal employees who are looking to join the Senior Executive Service may soon see changes from the Trump administration, as it looks to reform the training programs that are meant to prepare feds for SES positions. New proposed regulations from the Office of Personnel Management outline the agency’s plans for changing the requirements, timeframe and content of SES “candidate development programs.” If implemented, federal employees interested in joining the SES would see a shorter timeline for completing the development program, more rigorous requirements to fulfill, and more consistency in the training content — regardless of which agency they work for. Overall, OPM stated the agency is looking to drive a “shift in the culture of the SES” through the proposed changes, while also emphasizing the role of SES members in executing the Trump administration’s policy agenda. “By increasing program standards and training requirements, an SES [candidate development program] will better equip program participants to excel in senior leadership roles and effectively implement the president’s agenda,” the Dec. 18 proposed rule noted. Candidate development programs generally help prepare career federal employees for roles in the SES. But currently, the programs are inconsistent across government, according to OPM. Different agencies set different training requirements for potential SES members. Some agencies simply don’t have an SES candidate development program to begin with. “Inconsistencies … have yielded mixed results across participating agencies,” OPM officials wrote. “That variability has resulted in different training and development experiences … and leads to some programs that are more effective than others in preparing their leaders.” Specifically, OPM is proposing to create a standardized and governmentwide version of the SES candidate development program. By using a consistent training template, OPM said the program will be more streamlined and lead to consistent metrics that can be compared across agencies and over time. On top of standardizing and revising the content of SES candidate development programs, OPM also proposed shortening the timeline for participants to complete the program. The plan is to bring the timeframe down to 9-12 months in most cases, rather than the 1-2 years candidates currently get to complete the program. “This length of time involves considerable expense and resources to ostensibly turn ‘almost ready’ talent into ‘ready now’ talent,” OPM wrote. “Decreasing the program cohort duration allows for a more expedited timeline of identifying near ready talent and preparing them fully to fill SES vacancies.” Along with shortening the timeframe, OPM is also looking to increase the required training hours in the development program, from 80 hours up to 100 hours. Candidates would also have to complete at least 10 hours of “coaching and mentoring,” as well as at least one “developmental assignment” lasting about four months. OPM said the added requirements would “enhance and broaden the candidate’s experience, increase his or her knowledge, and maximize his or her understanding of the overall functioning of the agency, so the candidate is prepared for a range of agency positions at the SES level.” Jenny Mattingley, vice president of government affairs at the Partnership for Public Service, said she generally sees OPM’s increased focus on the SES candidate development programs as a positive change. Although there have been discussions for more than a decade on possible reforms to the programs, she said over time, not many changes have moved forward. “Anything that starts thinking about how to make the programs more consistent, more robust, and how to ensure you’re getting qualified folks into the Senior Executive Service — that’s a good focus,” Mattingley said in an interview with Federal News Network. “But it will still take a while just see that play out. Agencies are going to have to re-evaluate their programs make them fit with OPM’s standards — and then actually send people through it.” Currently, SES candidate development programs are largely inconsistent, both within and across agencies, Mattingley said. Some employees who join the SES have completed a development program, but many simply apply for a senior-level position without any further training. At the same time, some employees who complete a candidate development program may not end up joining the SES. Mattingley said it will be important to track how much agencies ultimately invest in their training and development programs. That includes investments in developing entry-level employees at the start of the leadership pipeline, she added. “This is not a new idea,” Mattingley said. “People have been trying to reform the SES for many years, but agencies didn’t implement it in the way or at the scale that I think people hoped that would happen.” In its new proposal, OPM said development programs are a “crucial” tool for agencies, as they assemble succession management in their workforces and prepare “high-potential” employees for the SES. “These programs aim to cultivate leaders equipped with a governmentwide perspective and the competencies necessary to tackle complex challenges,” OPM wrote. “Through the introduction of more stringent … certification requirements, OPM aims to enhance training and development for aspiring SES and accelerate the placement of well-prepared leaders to ensure leadership continuity.” OPM’s new regulations build on initial guidance from May, which told agencies to begin changing how they hire and develop SES candidates. That same guidance also directed agencies to update their SES candidate development programs to align with “new administration priorities.” Many of the changes for the SES also come in response to an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office, calling for restored “accountability” in the SES. The proposed regulations are open to public comments until Feb. 17. OPM is looking for feedback in particular on additional research it should consider, if there should prescribe time requirements for specific topic areas, the benefits of expanding assessments in the development program, and where there have been similar “promising practices” in the private sector. Marcus Hill, president of the Senior Executives Association, expressed support for efforts to improve consistency and rigor in the training standards, but cautioned that SES candidate development programs should remain non-partisan and be able to transcend presidential administrations. “SES candidate development programs play a vital role in preparing leaders who can serve any administration with professionalism, integrity and readiness,” Hill said. “We encourage OPM to implement these changes in a way that preserves agency flexibility, avoids unnecessary administrative burden and ensures that high-quality leadership development is accessible across the federal government, including at smaller and resource-constrained agencies.”The post OPM proposes overhaul of SES candidate development programs first appeared on Federal News Network.

var config_5756981 = {"options":{"theme":"hbidc_default"},"extensions":{"Playlist":[]},"episode":{"media":{"mp3":"https:\/\/mgln.ai\/e\/345\/rss.art19.com\/episodes\/7e62589a-a5ff-409f-b2f7-1a6bc87f0412.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg5Xb3JkUHJlc3MGOgZFVA%3D%3D--466d26bc6c0e932b4a48b1403433bf1814d4975e"},"coverUrl":"https:\/\/federalnewsnetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/FedNewscast1500-150x150.jpg","title":"Veterans Affairs will no longer perform some emergency services","description":"[hbidcpodcast podcastid='5756981']nn[federal_newscast]"}}; Veterans Affairs will no longer perform abortions in emergency cases, in light of a new legal opinion from the Justice Department. The VA started providing abortions to veterans in certain life-threatening circumstances in fall 2022. This comes after the Supreme Court ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson case. The department began the process of rolling back the policy this summer. That process is still making its way through the official rule-making process. (Trump-Vance administration bans abortion care and counseling for veterans - Democracy Forward)Another agency CIO is heading out the door. Jeff Seaton, the NASA chief information officer, is retiring after 32 years of federal service. Seaton is taking advantage of the ability to delay his retirement under the deferred resignation program. His last day is Dec. 27. Seaton has been NASA CIO for almost five years and previously worked in senior technology roles at headquarters and at NASA Langley Research Center. The space agency is hiring a replacement for Seaton. Its job announcement said the new CIO will be a career senior executive service member. Applications for the position are due by Jan. 9. (NASA to hire new career CIO - USAJobs.com)One nonprofit is continuing to press for investigations into potential Hatch Act violations during the government shutdown. In a new letter to the Office of Special Counsel, the legal organization Democracy Forward called on OSC to open Hatch Act investigations, pointing to multiple incidents of partisan messaging during October and November. The group specifically highlights how agencies posted messages to their websites that blamed the shutdown on Democrats. And in a separate letter to the Government Accountability Office, Democracy Forward also raised potential violations of the Antideficiency Act during the 43-day shutdown. (Hatch Act letters - Democracy Forward)The Missile Defense Agency has tapped more companies to support the Golden Dome initiative. The agency has made over a thousand awards under its Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense, or SHIELD, contract worth up to $151 billion. The new awards expand a pool of pre-approved vendors eligible to compete for future task orders, bringing the total number of qualifying offerors to more than 2,000 companies. The agency said it has now transitioned to the ordering phase and drafting solicitations.(MDA taps more companies for Golden Dome SHIELD contract - SAM.gov)Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed all department heads to recognize "outstanding” Defense Department civilian employees with cash bonuses. A new memo authorizes Pentagon leaders to award the top 15% of civilian employees bonuses worth 15% to 25% of their basic pay, capped at $25,000. Hegseth directed department heads to issue the bonuses by Jan. 30. The memo to recognize top talent comes amid Hegseth’s broader push to shrink and reshape the Pentagon’s civilian workforce. (Hegseth authorizes cash bonuses of up to $25,000 for top civilian employees - Federal News Network)A top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer reviewing requests for telework as a reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities. Supervisors have instructed staff to email their medical documentation directly to Lynda Chapman, the agency’s chief operating officer, to “bypass” the traditional reasonable accommodation system, and receive up to 30 days of telework as an interim accommodation. But CDC employees tell Federal News Network that Chapman no longer has access to their reasonable accommodation requests. Former CDC officials say many of the human resources staff trained to handle reasonable accommodation requests were targeted by layoffs earlier this year. (As HHS restricts telework, CDC asks employees to ‘bypass’ reasonable accommodation process - Federal News Network)House Democrats are pressing the Office of Personnel Management for answers on how the agency is addressing abnormally high volumes of federal retirement applications. In a letter sent this week, the lawmakers raised concerns about the delays retiring federal employees are currently experiencing. That’s after the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program spurred a major influx of retirement applications. The lawmakers are giving OPM Director Scott Kupor until the end of January to respond with more details on OPM’s plans.(House Democrats question OPM on retirement processing delays - Federal News Network)House Democrats are urging the Transportation Security Administration to preserve union rights for TSA airport screeners. Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and 11 of his colleagues say TSA’s push to end union rights will not improve efficiency or security at airport screening lines. In a new letter, lawmakers urge Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to keep TSA’s 2024 collective bargaining agreement in place. TSA plans to void the collective bargaining agreement effective Jan. 11. The American Federation of Government Employees is urging a federal judge to take action, pointing to a preliminary injunction that blocked TSA’s previous attempt to eliminate the union agreement. (House Dems urge TSA to preserve collective bargaining agreement - Federal News Network)The owner of a federal contractor is facing up to 90 years in prison after being indicted by a Baltimore grand jury in a scheme to defraud the government that included rigging bids for IT contracts and receiving kickbacks in exchange for influence over IT procurements. Victor Marquez is facing wire fraud charges. The Justice Department said Marquez and his co-conspirators used his access to sensitive procurement information to rig bids for procurements for large government IT contracts. Marquez allegedly received more than $3.8 million in compensation in the form of kickbacks for steering procurements to his co-conspirators, who referred to the payments to Marquez as the “Vic tax.”(Federal IT contractor facing charges of defrauding the government - Justice Department)The post Veterans Affairs will no longer perform some emergency services first appeared on Federal News Network.

The White House has begun managing the DOJ's account on X, an effort to finish out the year and the Epstein file disclosure requirements set by Congress.

Trump is systematically undermining America's interests at home and abroad.

Antisemitism in the GOP? The devil you say!