FCW Insider: Feb. 9
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
FLRA defends Trump-era rule on revoking union fees
The Federal Labor Relations Authority is defending a 2020 rule in a union lawsuit – a rule opposed by the official now temporarily in charge of the agency.
FERC proposes incentives for electric companies to improve cybersecurity
The new rule, proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, would subsidize electric companies that upgrade their cybersecurity infrastructure beyond the minimum requirements.
DOD orders leaders to address extremism
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directs commanding officers and supervisors to hold a "stand down" discussion on extremism in the next 60 days.
Quick Hits
*** Citizen satisfaction with government service continues to drop, according to the latest rankings from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Their 2020 report on the federal government released Feb. 8 showed a drop of 4.4% to 65.1 out of 100. The Departments of Commerce and Agriculture were high scorers among government agencies; Treasury and the Social Security Administration scored the lowest. The survey measures citizen perceptions of ease of government processes, clarity of government information, website quality and the professionalism of government customer service.
*** Former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. The vote was 87-7. McDonough will become just the second non-veteran to lead the agency.
*** Citizens are more interested than ever in accessing government services online, according to new research from KPMG, but governments are hampered by legacy technology that is hurting mission delivery and recruitment.