I study government bureaucracies. This is not normally a key political issue. Right now, it is, and everyone should be paying attention. Donald Trump, the former president and current candidate, puts it in apocalyptic terms: “Either the deep state destroys America or we destroy the deep state.” This is not an empty threat. He has a real and plausible plan to utterly transform American government. It will undermine the quality of that government and it will threaten our democracy.
The Office of Personnel Management proposed new regulations delegating its authority to waive the caps on recruitment and relocation incentive payments to federal employees and job candidates to the agencies themselves, a move the federal government’s HR agency says will ease administrative burdens and accelerate the hiring process.
According to survey data obtained by Federal Times, nearly 24% of new hires are looking to leave the agency, most in as little as two years, and for various reasons including retirement or to take another job. About 22% of those who said they’re leaving cited feeling overworked.
Lawmakers in both parties are predicting a GOP battle royal over federal spending at the start of the election year as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) struggles to balance the demands from House conservatives demanding fiscal reforms with keeping the government operating.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs staffers have posted record highs for processing benefits claims in recent weeks, but they’ll still face thousands of hours of mandatory overtime over the next year to keep pace with the workload coming in.
Our country has seen many so-called fiscal commissions, and each one of them has failed to produce meaningful change. So why are some voices in both parties floating the idea again?
Read More
AFGE Local 17 President Douglas Massey last week testified before a congressional committee, detailing issues that impede the work of attorneys who adjudicate veterans’ claims and making recommendations on how to improve the process and better serve veterans.
Read More
An investigation into a whistleblower retaliation case championed by AFGE Local 1534 concludes in our union’s favor that an employee has indeed been wrongfully retaliated against.
Read More
