FCW Insider: Jan. 27

Air Force chief looks to combat extremism in military ranks.

To create a better environment for all service members, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the Air Force's chief of staff said leadership will have to lay out "what our expectations are for those who are to be a part of our force."

TSP participants withdrew $2.9 billion last year under CARES Act

By the end of the program, almost 120,000 Thrift Savings Plan participants used CARES Act withdrawals.

DOD moves to centralize security clearance disputes

The Defense Department issued new policy for contractors who have had their clearances revoked.

Biden taps campaign veteran for federal CISO job

Chris DeRusha, who led information security on the Biden campaign, is the federal government's new chief information security officer.

Seeking more civility on Facebook

Steve Kelman discusses his pursuit of a more constructive social network.

Quick Hits

*** Federal unions may be waiting a while for President Joe Biden's reversal of Trump-era union policy to materialize in their bargaining agreements.

Biden's executive order issued last week instructed agencies to reverse actions taken related to the 2018 orders "as soon as practicable." Officials at the American Federation of Government Employees said on a Jan. 16 call with reporters that they've voiced their readiness to returning to the bargaining table or revert to contract terms that existed before Trump implemented new policies in 2018, or work on supplemental agreements.

But AFGE officials haven't heard much from agencies so far, they said at a press call on Tuesday. It may take guidance from the Office of Personnel Management to prompt agencies to return to the table, said David Cann, AFGE Field Services and Education Director. Most AFGE contracts have been affected by the Trump executive orders, and all remain in place now, Cann said.

"I actually initiated conversation with the head of my agency at the [Department of Veterans Affairs] but currently it appears that there's still no negotiations going to happen until they're moved to do so. What that movement would look like I really don’t know," said Linda Ward-Smith, president of AFGE Local 1224 in Las Vegas. "Right now, there is no bargaining going on at my agency."

*** The General Services Agency named Amy Haseltine as acting director of the Office of Enterprise Technology Solutions at the General Services Administration. She's moving over from her role as director of the NewPay payroll shared services office at GSA.

*** Ashley Tabaddor, head of the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), was picked by the Biden administration to serve as chief counsel for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Amiena Khan is taking over as the NAIJ president. The union was one of several targeted for elimination by the Trump administration.