Podcasts about office of personnel management

Thursday, February 27th, 2025Today, the Office of Personnel Management sent out a memo directing massive reductions in force; the Trump administration threatens a permanent visa ban for trans athletes; Musk cancelled contracts that help veterans only to reinstate them the next day; Jeff Bezos announced a revamp to the Washington Post op ed section causing the editor to quit; a Democrat in Maine won her state special election by 43 points; the US logs its first measles death in a decade; judge Amy Berman Jackson extends the restraining order keeping Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger in his job through Saturday; Republicans in the House have passed Trump's budget including sweeping cuts to Medicaid; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.Stories:Wednesday's Campaign Round-Up: Minnesota's Tim Walz passes on Senate race | MSNBCDemocrat Sean Faircloth easily wins Bangor-area legislative seat in special election | Bangor Daily NewsTrump administration sets stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in new memo | AP NewsHouse narrowly adopts budget plan to advance Trump's agenda in a win for Speaker Johnson - Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Melanie Zanona, Syedah Asghar and Julie Tsirkin | NBC NewsJeff Bezos' revamp of 'Washington Post' opinions leads editor to quit - David Folkenflik | NPRFirst measles death reported in Texas as Kennedy downplays the outbreak - Erika Edwards | NBC News Good Trouble:ACTION REQUEST -  Today USAID staff in Washington received word that they can go into USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan Building to retrieve their personal belongings. The entire Washington-based staff will have two days, this Thursday and Friday, in one-hour windows by bureau and in 15-minute increments per person. No boxes or packing materials will be provided. There are staff who have worked at the RRB for 20-30 years, and it is the "mother ship" for most of us. This will be an extremely emotional two days. So, we would like to encourage anyone who is able to join us at the RRB to "clap out" staff, with signs of support. If you're able to bring extra packing materials and / or drinks and snacks please do. We want to show these people how you treat public servants who have given their lives to the important work we do.THURSDAY 7:30 am - 6:00 pmFRIDAY 7:30 am - 3:30 pmUSAID Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWThere is public parking in the RRB garage, and the closest metros are Metro Center (red line) and Federal Triangle (orange/blue). If you are planning to park in the garage please make sure to have a government-issued ID (driver's license).*Tomorrow is The Blackout. Don't buy anything unless it's from a small local business on Friday, February 28th.Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen. Check out muellershewrote.com for my interview with a systems security expert about the massive breach at opm.gov caused by Elon MuskCheck out other MSW Media podcastsShows - MSW MediaCleanup On Aisle 45 podSubscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on SubstackThe BreakdownFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaAllison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote, Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewroteDana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/From The Good NewsIRS Free File: Do your taxes for freeIowa DOGE - FeedbackCleanup on Aisle 45 - MSW MediaHRC.org/events Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote, Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewroteDana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

In this episode of Passing Judgment, we delve into the Trump administration's controversial federal buyout plan aimed at reducing the workforce. Jessica is joined by expert guest Tami Luhby to unpack the deferred resignation offer's complexities, union opposition, and the vagueness surrounding its terms. We explore how these workforce reductions could impact government services and the ongoing legal battles related to this initiative. Here are three key takeaways you don't want to miss:Federal Buyout Plan: The Trump administration aimed to downsize the federal workforce, incorporating a controversial program called the deferred resignation offer. Approximately 2 million federal employees were offered this program, where 77,000 accepted the resignation offer. However, there was confusion and reported ineligibility among recipients.Legal Proceedings: A Boston judge twice paused the program, considering the unions' claims, but ultimately decided they lacked standing, supporting the administration's effort to proceed with the buyout program.Impact on Services: The reduction in workforce potentially affects various essential services such as Social Security and Veterans Affairs, leading to concerns about extended wait times and disrupted services for the public.Follow Our Host: @LevinsonJessica@Luhby

Donald Trump's blitzkrieg of executive orders is running into a million lawsuits. And Elon Musk's inability to keep his mouth shut isn't helping. We'll discuss the avalanche of lawsuits by labor unions, non-profits, FBI agents, and anonymous federal employees, along with the judiciary's response.    Links:   44 USC § 3501 Note https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/44/3501   Musk associates sought to use critical Treasury payment system to shut down USAID spending, emails show https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/06/politics/elon-musk-treasury-department-payment-system/index.html   US v. Illinois docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69616357/united-states-v-state-of-illinois/   FBI Agents Association v. DOJ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69609596/federal-bureau-of-investigation-agents-association-v-department-of-justice/    AFL-CIO v. Department of Labor docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69613359/afl-cio-v-department-of-labor/    Nat'l Council of Nonprofits v. OMB (“Nonprofits Case”) docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69583571/national-council-of-nonprofits-v-office-of-management-and-budget/   ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS v. BESSENT (challenge to Treasury/BFS) https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69607077/alliance-for-retired-americans-v-bessent/   Doe v. OPM docket (challenge to Musk server spoofing OPM email) https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69582338/doe-v-office-of-personnel-management   New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support v. Trump (challenge to birthright EO) https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69560542/new-hampshire-indonesian-community-support-v-trump/    The Three-Headed Chimera of Trumpian Destruction [Gift Link] https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-three-headed-chimera-of-trumpian-destruction/sharetoken/09cb444c-9355-4852-be93-f505cbbd1418    Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod Patreon: patreon.com/LawAndChaosPod  

Elon Musk has invaded Washington. He has set loose a pack of feral teenage code monkeys with a god complex inside every federal agency, promising to do for Washington what he did for Twitter. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, and Musk also has a plan to “rightsize” the government by waving unenforceable contracts at federal employees to induce them into resigning. There's a Fork in the Road all right, but this one is perhaps best not taken. Links: Nat'l Counsel of Nonprofits v. OMB (“Nonprofits Case”) docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69583571/national-council-of-nonprofits-v-office-of-management-and-budget/   Elon Musk Wants to Get Operational Control of the Treasury's Payment System. This Could Not Possibly Be More Dangerous by  https://www.crisesnotes.com/elon-musk-wants-to-get-operational-control-of-the-treasurys-payment-system-this-could-not-possibly-be-more-dangerous/ Office of Personnel Management “Fork in the Road” https://www.opm.gov/fork   OPM Guidance on Schedule Policy/Career (formerly Schedule F) https://chcoc.gov/sites/default/files/OPM%20Memorandum%20re%20Schedule%20Policy%20Career%20Guidance%2001-27-25%20FINAL.pdf   American Federation of Gov't Employees v. Trump docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69588089/american-federation-of-government-employees-afl-cio-v-trump/   VSIP 5 U.S.C. § 3521 et seq. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/part-III/subpart-B/chapter-35/subchapter-II   Truman EO 9830 https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-9830-amending-the-civil-service-rules-and-providing-for-federal-personnel   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod Patreon: patreon.com/LawAndChaosPod

Today's Story: A Viewpoint Survey

Kiran Ahuja, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and Zaneta Adams,Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, address the White House Tribal Nations Summit on December 6, 2023.

The Office of Personnel Management still has a lot of rebuilding to do. Federal Drive host Tom Temin's guest in this interview, points out that OPM went eight years without a confirmed director. The Trump administration tried to roll its functions into the White House and GSA. American University professor Bob Tobias puts the recent OPM testimony into context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the IT strategy for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)? How is it modernizing its IT systems and infrastructure? What is OPM doing to secure its IT systems and infrastructure? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Guy Cavallo, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Office of Personnel Management […]

We're not done digesting the biggest regular spending bill in history. Within that $1.7 trillion so-called omnibus spending package, Congress set a couple of new deadlines for federal agencies. For one, it wants the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget to figure out how to solve durable problems with federal hiring. Joining the Federal Drive with more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.

The Education Department's Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has had some ongoing issues with public servants meeting relatively strict eligibility requirements. The department has tried to fix the problem with a limited-time waiver, but it leaves a few questions unanswered about the future of the program. With less than a week before the temporary waiver expires, the Office of Personnel Management is also sharing how agencies can help federal employees with their PSLF applications. Joining the Federal Drive with more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.

In today's Federal Newscast, OPM plans a slew of initiatives to attract more early-career people to federal service.

Results are out for the 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey – or FEVS. The annual survey from the Office of Personnel Management produced a couple of ups and downs in the two years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, federal employee attitudes seem to have calmed down a bit. Joining the Federal Drive with the details, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.

Dr. Donald Devine is a TFAS Senior Scholar and served as Director of the Office of Personnel Management in the Reagan administration. Don has had a distinguished career in academics having written ten books, and taught at both University of Maryland and Bellevue University, where he was known as a proponent of fusionist philosophy. This weeks episode of the Liberty and Leadership Podcast was recorded live at TFAS in front of an audience, where Roger and Don discussed  the development of fusionism, the tension between freedom and tradition, reforming the Federal Reserve, Woodrow Wilson's lasting impact, and how Don earned the title of Reagan's “terrible swift sword” as President Reagan's OPM Director. The Liberty and Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS President Roger Ream and produced by kglobal. If you have a comment or question for the show, please drop us an email at podcast@TFAS.org.Support the show

Part of the Office of Personnel Management's work to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, hinges on encouraging individuals from underserved communities to join the federal workforce. At a White House summit in Atlanta this week, OPM's new Deputy Chief of Staff Khalilah Harris highlighted the Biden administration's efforts to connect local community members directly with federal leaders and resources. Harris is calling on members of diverse communities to look and apply for federal job opportunities. But she tells Federal News Network's Drew Friedman, it's also crucial to travel to these underserved communities, to help spread the word.

The Office of Personnel Management has yet to release regulations that would encourage agencies to stop asking about job applicants' salary histories. Some advocacy groups say agencies don't need to wait for OPM. The idea behind not asking, is that it would help close the purported government-private pay gap, a goal of OPM's strategic plan. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman is covering this story and talked about it with Federal Drive host Tom Temin.

The Office of Personnel Management doesn't hire people to work at federal agencies. But it has a lot of influence over how agencies hire people. And it provides crucial shared services to help agencies manage their workforces. This year the Government Accountability Office added three high priority recommendations for OPM to improve things. Federal Drive host Tom Temin talked about it with GAO's director of strategic issues, Michelle Sager.

The Office of Personnel Management doesn't hire people to work at federal agencies. But it has a lot of influence over how agencies hire people. And it provides crucial shared services to help agencies manage their workforces. This year the Government Accountability Office added three high priority recommendations for OPM to improve things. Federal Drive host Tom Temin talked about it with GAO's director of strategic issues, Michelle Sager.

In today's Federal Newscast, some agency leaders are taking a closer look at improving cooperation with unions.

The Office of Personnel Management has reached a milestone it hasn't seen since 2015. OPM Director Kiran Ahuja just hit one year in office as agency head. Ahuja has made progress in her position -- for example, giving feds time off to vote and bringing back the Presidential Rank Awards after a year's hiatus. But the agency is hitting a few bumps in the road, too. Many feds, for example, shared in the 2021 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey that they're not happy with return to office plans. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman sat down with Ahuja at a press conference, where the director discussed OPM's priorities for telework.

In today's Federal Newscast, news on a potential multimillion dollar settlement for victims of the Office of Personnel Management hack.

If you do recruiting and hiring for your agency, here's a tip. Focus more on what job candidates know how to do, and not so much where they learned it. The Office of Personnel Management is out with guidance on this very strategy. Joining the Federal Drive with more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Office of Personnel Management released a new federal workforce plan.

Agencies are ramping up recruitment for 8,000 new federal positions, as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The departments of Transportation, Energy, Commerce, Interior, Agriculture, among others, are all looking to hire for those jobs. To help create better pathways to federal service, the Office of Personnel Management is offering solutions for agencies to get new employees in the door. In an exclusive interview, OPM Director Kiran Ahuja told Federal News Network's Drew Friedman, there's a lot of work to do behind the scenes.

2021 was a year of big change or the federal workforce. For one thing, they faced a turbulent of return-to-the-office, with plans varying widely from agency to agency. The result? Employee engagement and job satisfaction both drop off from the relatively high levels of 2020's. That's according to the Office of Personnel Management, which yesterday released the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, or “FEVS” for 2021. Joining the Federal Drive with the details, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Office of Personnel Management is giving formerly incarcerated individuals an opportunity to join the federal workforce.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Office of Personnel Management is giving all federal workers the option to contribute to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Office of Personnel Management wants to make it easier to recruit cyber experts for federal jobs.

Federal civilian agencies asked for a record 65 billion dollars for technology in fiscal 2023. Most of them would get a big boost in IT spending. In his weekly Reporter's Notebook, Federal News Network's Jason Miller dug deep into the budget request to find some of the trends in IT spending behind those raw numbers. Jason joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss.

In today's Federal Newscast, some federal workers may be getting a pay raise due to rising levels of inflation.

Federal agency CIOs are finalizing plans to create and fund a zero-trust architecture. A former head of the TSA has died. And you can now sport ombre nails while in a Marine Corps uniform.

Security clearances, how to get them, what you can do with them, is an ever-chancing topic. The last couple of years have brought quite a few changes, especially since the machinery moved from the Office of Personnel Management to the Defense Department. Here with an update, two attorneys from the federal employee focused law firm Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman and Fitch, managing partner Elaine Fitch and partner Mary Kuntz.

In today's Federal Newscast, a new program offers opportunities for more women to join the Senior Executive Service.

In today's Federal Newscast, two initiatives seek to prohibit use of a people's prior salaries when hiring them

Last week, the Office of Personnel Management made some big news, raising the minimum wage for federal employees to $15/hour. Besides the living wage angle, there's also a diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility angle. Federal News Network's David Thornton has more.

The Biden administration goals for diversity and equity in the federal workforce are more difficult to achieve in some fields than others. Data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows the cyber workforce ranks among the least diverse segments of the federal government. Agencies can't simply hire their way to a more diverse cyber workforce. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has looked into this.

The Office of Personnel Management is launching a Chief Diversity Officer Council, the latest in a series of gambits under President Joe Biden's executive order on diversity, equity, inclusion in the federal workforce. As for other goals in the EO, chief diversity officers say a hiring spree won't improve diversity in the long-term. For more on this work, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more.

The Office of Personnel Management is planning to give agencies more discretion to handle under-performing federal employees. OPM is looking to repeal a Trump administration policy that prevented agencies from agreeing to remove or change information on a federal employee's performance record, as a condition for leaving the agency. For a closer look at this policy change, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joined the Federal Drive with more.

The Office of Personnel Management finally has permanent leadership after a years-long revolving door of acting directors. Kiran Ahuja is a month or two into the job. She says rebuilding the federal workforce and OPM internally is one of her biggest priorities. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joins me now with what else is on Ahuja's to-do list.

The Office of Personnel Management is attempting to reassure federal employee unions: Those long-awaited paid parental leave benefits will be ready on time and as intended. The National Treasury Employees Union had raised some doubts about OPM's plans for paid parental leave. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joins me now to explain the debate and what feds might be able to expect with the new benefit.

Agencies have a lot of questions about how they're supposed handle telework, sick leave and other unexpected scenarios that seem to be popping up daily with the spread of the coronavirus. The Office of Personnel Management has brand new guidance that tackles some of these questions. And agencies are starting to ramp up other preparations. The military is preparing in multiple ways too. Federal News Network's Scott Maucione and Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain what agencies are doing, and what else they should do to prepare.

By all accounts, slashing the security clearance backlog by nearly 500,000 in almost two years is one of those coveted, good news government stories. Tackling the backlog while transferring the whole security clearance enterprise to the Pentagon, is another. Federal contractors say there's a lot to like about the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and how its handling its business. But cutting the backlog only tackles one piece of their security clearance challenges. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain.

The Trump administration is still making the case for a merger of the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration. Even as it acknowledged it can't do much until the National Academy of Public Administration finishes a year-long study. That didn't stop the White House from requesting $70 million to pay for the OPM-GSA merger. The administration says it'll use the money to buy new IT equipment, integrate OPM systems into GSA's, and move staff. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to give some more details.

Modernizing the federal workforce has been a top priority for the Trump administration since day one. There have been some successes over the past three years. But many of them are smaller victories... achieved through administrative changes. But the Office of Personnel Management does have some bold ideas to help agencies better recruit and retain top talent. They're just tucked inside a 500-page budget document. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko dug through that document and explained her findings on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

New year, same priorities for the federal workforce. The Trump administration in 2020 is trying to finish much of what it started during previous years. The Office of Personnel Management launched a new online collective bargaining agreement database Thursday. It was a key component of President Donald Trump's 2018 executive orders on official time and collective bargaining. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more on OPM's new resources, and some of the administration's other workforce priorities for the year.

The agreement struck in Congress earlier this week on the annual defense policy bill may have some big consequences for civilian federal employees. The bill would grant all federal employees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. That's a brand new benefit employee groups and lawmakers have been fighting for over the last decade. The defense policy bill also takes a definitive stance on the Trump administration's proposed merger of the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for all the details.

It's that time of year — the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results are out. The survey is designed to take the pulse of employee satisfaction with their jobs, supervisors and work environments. This year, federal employees are feeling about the same as they did last year. The Office of Personnel Management said that's actually a good thing. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to break down the latest results.

You can find a lot to complain about regarding USAJobs.gov and the federal hiring process. How about this — only half of the job postings on USAJobs for technical or IT positions actually end in a hire. And that's a waste of time for agency hiring managers. The Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Digital Service said something's wrong with this picture. They teamed up to test a new approach to hiring. The Trump administration sees promise, and urged other agencies to adopt it. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to walk listeners through the pilot.

News surrounding the president's workforce executive orders hasn't stopped, even though the injunction on them lifted a few weeks ago now. The Office of Personnel Management said the EOs are in full force and instructed agencies to begin implementing them. And the White House offered more clarity late last week about how agencies still in the middle of bargaining negotiations should proceed with federal employee unions. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to walk through the details.

The Trump administration's proposal to merge the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration has been the elephant in the room at OPM for the past year. OPM employees say the proposal alone has generated debilitating uncertainty across the agency. Institutional talent has left, work has been delayed and morale has tanked. Federal News Network spoke with 10 current and former OPM employees as part of a six-month investigation. Workers fear the damage is done, regardless of what happens next with the merger. Nicole Ogrysko and Jason Miller joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss their story.

It's official now — the governmentwide security clearance program is at the Defense Department. The Office of Personnel Management's National Background Investigations Bureau is part of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Defense officials said now the real work begins. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain what went into the security clearance transfer, and what comes next.