Podcasts about jory heckman

The Postal Service typically sees its best financial results in the first quarter of each fiscal year. That's because of the year-end holiday season and sometimes a surge in political mail. But USPS is starting this fiscal year with a $1.3 billion net loss. It posted a rare net profit for the same period last year. The American Postal Workers Union says USPS should focus on affordable services and improved service to win back customers. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with APWU President Jonathan Smith. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows it cut health care hiring times by more half. The Trump administration directed agencies to speed up time-to-hire governmentwide. But a closer look at the VA's data shows that it's using different metrics than it's used in the past. For a closer look at the numbers … Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS is notifying back-office employees that they will temporarily cover frontline filing season work through this summer. Training for these detailed employees will begin nearly a month after the start of this year's tax filing season. The agency's taxpayer service division lost a significant number of employees last year. The IRS also fell short of its hiring goals this season. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to get the rollout of a new multi-billion-dollar Electronic Health Record back on track, after pausing the project for three years. The VA is planning for its new EHR from Oracle-Cerner to go live at 13 sites in 2026. It'll start with four sites in Michigan in April. Unlike previous deployments, the upcoming go-lives to take place in waves. Since 2023 the project has been on pause while the VA addressed outages and productivity declines at sites that adopted the new EHR. For a closer look at this project, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with VA's Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A short-term partial government shutdown is over after House lawmakers have reached a deal to fund much of the federal government. A majority of agencies now have funding through the end of the fiscal year. That's except for the Department of Homeland Security. It's under a two-week stopgap spending bill, buying lawmakers more time to negotiate additional guardrails on federal immigration operations. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to shift more of its health care workforce to facilities facing a growing veteran population. That's the latest from the VA's long-awaited agency reorganization. That also means drawing down staffing levels in places where the veteran population is shrinking. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS says it's ready for this year's filing season which began on Monday. But the agency faces a slew of challenges. A looming government shutdown would limit its ability to serve taxpayers. The agency also missed several key hiring goal for the filing season and is scaling back expectations for how many calls from taxpayers it will answer. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is officially lifting a hiring freeze on its health care workforce after shedding tens of thousands of positions last year. But the VA which saw its first-ever workforce net decrease is unlikely to hire its way to a higher headcount than what is currently has. Senate Democrats say VA facilities are still facing strict staffing caps as the department moves ahead with its reorganization. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more details.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congressional appropriators are one step closer to reaching a comprehensive spending deal for the rest of the fiscal year before a stopgap spending bill expires at the end of the month. They've released the final four spending bills needed to fully fund the federal government. The bill spares many agencies from deep budget cuts. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More than half of the Social Security Administration's frontline employees are earning less than what's necessary to afford a basic standard of living in their communities. That's according to a new report by Strategic Organizing Center, a research partner for the American Federation of Government Employees. SSA employees say that amid workforce challenges the agency is unable to keep up with the needs of beneficiaries. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are getting closer to reaching a comprehensive spending package for the rest of fiscal 2026. In the latest step, House and Senate appropriations reached a deal on a new set of spending bills covering financial services, foreign affairs and national security. The spending plan spares the IRS and the State Department from major cuts and calls on speeding up the disposal of excess federal real estate. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS is weeks away from the start of a busier-than-usual filing season. But a group of senators is warning that the agency may be stretched too thin to respond to taxpayers' needs. The agency lost about a quarter of its workforce last year and is embarking on a major shakeup of its IT operations. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congressional appropriators are rejecting some of the most severe agency budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration. It's the latest step lawmakers are taking to pass a comprehensive spending plan for the rest of the fiscal year … and avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month. They're also looking to put additional guardrails on unilateral agency reorganizations that could further shrink the federal workforce. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is embarking on big changes. Next year, it's looking to get the rocky rollout of the new electronic health record back on track. VA medical facilities already using the system have been beset with problems for years. Meanwhile, the VA is planning to roll out the biggest reorganization of its healthcare operation in decades. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration reshaped many agencies this year. But the General Services Administration became the focus point of many governmentwide changes. The Department of Government Efficiency set high cost-cutting goals for GSA. Next year, an agency watchdog take a closer look at whether it met those targets. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Treasury Department is officially suspending Direct File, a free online tax filing platform the IRS launched last year. The department said it's exploring alternatives. That includes strengthening its partnership with tax preparation companies through its Free File program. Direct File expanded to 25 states during this year's filing season and saw higher favorability scores. But Treasury said the program cost too much and didn't see enough usage to keep scaling it up. For more on what happens next, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the CEO of Code for America, Amanda Renteria.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Early in the Trump administration the Department of Government Efficiency directed the General Services Administration to take major cuts to leased office space. GSA officials say they successfully terminated hundreds of leases this year, but far fewer than goals set by DOGE. These updated figures come at a time when government officials are taking stock of DOGE's impact, and whether agencies came close to achieving the Trump administration's government efficiency goals. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More than a dozen federal statistical agencies are falling behind on producing high-quality data sets that impact the U.S. economy and government policy. The American Statistical Association finds changes under the Trump administration have led to certain public-facing data sets being delayed, suspended or canceled. It's also flagging declines public trust scores in data sets produced by the federal government. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal judge in San Francisco is temporarily blocking the State Department from finalizing hundreds of employee layoffs. Foreign Service employees were slated to be officially separated from the agency last week. But federal employee unions are making the case that State and several other agencies aren't fully adhering to a provision in the shutdown-ending spending bill. That provision temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out layoffs. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former federal employees say they lost their jobs as part of the Trump administration's plans to remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs. But some claim their most recent jobs had nothing to do with DEI. They're now part of a class-action lawsuit challenging their removal. For more on this case, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with an attorney representing the plaintiffs, Mary Kuntz. But first you'll hear from one of the plaintiffs themselves Mahri Stainnak. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The State Department's diplomatic workforce is feeling overburdened, under-resourced and more likely to leave in the next few years. That's according to a recent survey from the American Foreign Service Association. The State Department conducted widespread layoffs this year. It also closed and consolidated hundreds of offices as part of an agency reorganization. Foreign Service officers say they're spread thin because of these changes. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Health and Human Services is centralizing the processing of reasonable accommodation requests from its employees. As a result, it's facing a months-long backlog. HHS employees say the department is making it harder for employees with disabilities to receive telework as a reasonable accommodation as the Trump administration enforces a return to office mandate. For more on this, we're joined by Federal News Network's Jory Heckman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Customer satisfaction with benefits and services provided by the federal government is higher than it's been in nearly two decades. That's despite a tumultuous year where agencies have seen a major downsizing of the federal workforce. Scores are higher on average, but the latest scorecard from the American Customer Satisfaction Index shows a few agencies are seeing lower scores. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at ASCI, Forrest Morgeson.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress directed the Trump administration to rescind shutdown-era layoffs as part of a spending deal that ended the government shutdown. Some employees targeted by layoffs say they haven't been brought back and that the language in the continuing resolution supports their push for reinstatement. But agencies say some of their reductions in force will remain in effect. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with the details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A bipartisan bill that would end the Trump administration's rollback of collective bargaining rights for most federal employees is guaranteed to get a full House vote now that the majority of lawmakers support it. A group of 218 lawmakers have signed on to a discharge petition that would force a floor vote. A Republican lawmaker co-sponsored the bill, and two other Republican lawmakers helped get this bill moving. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is looking to hire thousands of federal law enforcement personnel as part of expanded immigration enforcement efforts. But the courts handling these cases aren't seeing the same surge in resources. Several immigration judges recently fired by the Justice Department say the court system is losing staff and it's unable to address a multi million case backlog. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more details.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A spending deal to end the longest government shutdown also keeps some agencies funded through the end of the fiscal year. That includes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is still going through an agency reorganization. Lawmakers have included language that ensures the VA doesn't shed too many employees. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more insight. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employee unions are suing the Trump administration for including a new essay question on most job applications. One of the questions asks candidates how they plan to advance the Trump administration's priorities. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say that amounts to a loyalty test for the nonpartisan civil service Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The vast majority of employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs are still working during the government shutdown, and most are being paid on time through advanced appropriations. Even so, tens of thousands of VA employees are not getting paid right now because they're either furloughed or working without pay. Veteran Service Organizations say that the shutdown has also limited their services to veterans. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has been covering this.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are showing up to work and not getting paid on time during the second longest government shutdown. State Department employees who process passports are among those working without pay. That's an unusual step, because that part of the agency is fee funded, and it can normally pay staff on time during a lapse in congressional funds. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has been covering this issue, and he joins us now with more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration's latest round of federal employee layoffs will remain on hold for now. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from carrying out widespread reductions in force for about 4000 employees while the case proceeds through the court. A judge initially put these layoffs on hold in mid October, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many federal employees missed their first full paycheck last week as the second longest shutdown continues with no end in sight. Even some shutdown exempt employees are waiting on paychecks that were supposed to arrive. The Food and Drug Administration says some employees are receiving delayed paychecks because of a glitch in its system. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has been following all this, and he joins us now with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS is one of the Trump administration's biggest targets for layoffs. That's after the agency has already lost about a quarter of its workforce so far this year. These new layoffs impact mostly human resources and IT personnel now our Department of Government Efficiency Representative says those cuts are necessary to get stalled. It modernization efforts back on track for what all this means. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More than 200,000 federal employees have left government so far this year, voluntarily or otherwise, many of those former Feds officially separated from their agencies and are now planning the next chapter of their lives. In at least a few cases, some of these individuals have decided to run for public office. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A judge is temporarily blocking the Trump administration from carrying out its latest round of federal employee layoffs at most agencies. Administration officials say RIF notices went out to about 4000 federal employees last Friday. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials say more layoffs could be coming at the end of this week. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me with the latest.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We begin today with the IRS, which has furloughed nearly half its workforce last week and carried out more layoffs. But the agency is telling some shutdown exempt staff that they could also be furloughed if they take too much leave. The IRS is preparing for more changes than usual for next year's filing season, and some employees are worried these changes leave them short staffed. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has been covering this, and he joins me now with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration warned of more layoffs in the event of a government shutdown. Now it's following through on that ultimatum. Several agencies began sending reduction in force notices just before the holiday weekend. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me with more details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

IRS operations were business as usual in the early days of the government shutdown, but with no end in sight for the funding lapse, the agency says it will now have to shutter most of its operations. The agency, however, says that 10s of 1000s of furloughed employees will be paid once the shutdown ends. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has been covering the story and is here with more See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is doubling down on threats to lay off 1000s of federal employees if Congress doesn't end the government shutdown soon, but it's yet to deliver on its ultimatum, and meanwhile, one agency is doing the opposite, bringing back laid off employees to work and keeping them on the job during the shutdown. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration warned of layoffs across the federal workforce if a government shutdown occurred. So far, only one agency has actually done that. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sent reduction in force notices to some of its employees on day one of the shutdown as part of an agency reorganization. Top administration officials say there's more to come. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more detail. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tens of thousands of federal employees won't be coming into work on day one of a government shutdown, but the IRS says it will keep all of its employees working for a few days during the funding lapse. That's thanks to billions in multi-year modernization funds that Congress keeps clawing back. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more detail. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal court finds President Donald Trump unlawfully fired agency watchdogs just days after taking office, but none of the inspectors general he fired are getting their jobs back. The judge says Trump didn't follow procedure, but also says presidents have broad authority to fire the IGs. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me now with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ahead of an agency reorganization, the General Services Administration is walking back mass layoffs across its real estate division. The Public Building Service saw major workforce cuts amid plans to shrink its portfolio of federal buildings, but now PBS is asking hundreds of laid off employees to come back to work. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The General Services Administration is about to go through even more changes. An agency reorganization is coming to GSAs, Public Building Service. Employees working in Federal Real Estate have already been hit with widespread layoffs, but agency leaders say there are no more personnel cuts planned Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The State Department is in the process of hiring new Foreign Service officers after going through mass layoffs this summer, but candidates in the process must retake a new version of the Foreign Service officer test that the Trump administration recently introduced. Scores from an earlier version of the test will not be considered. It's just the latest change to how the State Department vets candidates and Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Despite proposing major cuts to the IRS budget, the Trump administration asked Congress for funds to hire 1000s of customer service representatives ahead of next year's filing season, but House lawmakers are pushing for even steeper IRS budget cuts than what the Trump administration proposed. Here to help us sort this out is Federal News Network's Jory Heckman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A former Department of government efficiency employee who served at the Department of Veterans Affairs say Doge has fallen short on some of its goals, and government is more efficient than he expected. The VA made some changes during his tenure, but he says agencies need to hire more tech talent to make meaningful changes Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Treasury Department watchdog is conducting an audit to see if IRS employees are reporting to the office as often as they claim. President Donald Trump ordered federal employees to return to the office full time soon after taking office himself, but some IRS employees say they're working in unsuitable conditions. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more on all of this.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is tapping a private sector tech leader with ties to the Department of government efficiency to overhaul federal websites. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia says he's been appointed to serve as the Chief Design Officer of the United States. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week outlining his plans to make public facing services beautiful and efficient. Here with more on the EO and Gebbia is Federal News Network's Jory Heckman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS is walking back its plans to conduct mass layoffs and plans to rescind hundreds of deferred resignation offers to fill critical vacancies. The IRS is on track to lose more than 25% of its workforce by the end of the year, largely through employees taking voluntary separation incentives. That's led to some concerns about how the IRS will prepare for next year's filing season. Here with more details on what's happening there is Federal News Network's Jory Heckman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.