People

D.C.-area lawmakers slam 'out of control' COVID outbreak at White House

National Capital Region members of Congress want administration officials to get control of the coronavirus transmissions at the White House complex that is putting residence staff, Secret Service agents, staffers and reporters at risk.

People

Pandemic continues to take a toll on public sector employment

State and local government payrolls shed 182,000 jobs in September, according to the most recent jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

People

Here we go again: 'diversity training' and government contractors

Steve Kelman takes issue with using the government's purchasing power to push unrelated political goals.

Modernization

NASA sets internal contact tracing app

NASA leverages commercial software, CDO Council for the agency's COVID tracing app.

Acquisition

Trump's diversity training purge becomes a debate topic

At the first presidential debate, Donald Trump said that he had ordered trainings on race and gender sensitivity training canceled because the curriculum is "racist". His opponent countered saying, "he's the racist."

People

White House offers details on diversity training crackdown

Diversity training that teaches federal employees about "unconscious bias" or "systemic racism" or "intersectionality" are being banned under a new White House policy.

People

Federal court ruling sidelines acting head of Bureau of Land Management

A federal district court ruled Sept. 25 that Pendley's appointment as acting director of BLM was unlawful under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.

Cybersecurity

PIV security frays under the crush of telework

Adversaries are adapting to the shifting identity authentication gaps on federal and commercial networks created by the remote work environment, according to federal security experts.

Cybersecurity

House tees up continuing resolution to avoid Oct. 1 shutdown

Protected leave for federal health workers and a USCIS funding measure are included in the stopgap bill.

Cybersecurity

Intel and BYOD

The intelligence community is warming to the concept of bringing your own device to work -- except when it comes to highly classified work.

People

Nearly 50% of Pentagon workers still teleworking

Safety protocols would allow up to 80% on-site, but there's no rush to recall remote employees.

People

Details on federal hiring changes expected this week

Draft guidelines will detail how agencies will remove college-degree requirements and emphasize skill assessments.

People

Tax deferral plan steams ahead

Despite opposition in Congress and skepticism from employee unions, the administration is going ahead with a mandatory tax deferral scheme for federal employees and the uniformed military.

Modernization

OPM nominee deflects questions about conspiracy tweets

John Gibbs, the HUD official selected to lead the Office of Personnel Management, wasn't pressed by lawmakers on a history of controversial tweets of conspiracy theories and calling the Democrats the party of Islam.

People

OPM plans to field employee survey next week

The long-delayed Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey will kick off on Sept. 14.

People

Don't expect finished defense bill soon, Thornberry says

Rep. Mac Thornberry, the House Armed Services Committee's ranking member, said the November elections could hold up negotiations over key provisions in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.

People

Senators push to make payroll tax deferral optional for feds, service members

Lawmakers are concerned about potential consequences of a mandatory tax deferral being rolled out by the Trump administration.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity in the telework age

Each mission environment has distinct needs and resources that don’t always fit into a “one-size-fits-all” solution.

Digital Government

OMB launches data reskilling pilot

The Office of Management and Budget develops another technology reskilling pilot aimed at fostering data science talent.

Cybersecurity

USCIS cancels furloughs

The planned furloughs of more than 13,000 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees set for Aug. 30 have been called off, the agency announced today.