The NDAA summary report released by the committees includes several provisions impacting the civilian federal workforce. Most notably, the conference agreement provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees.

Members of Congress appear likely to pass a two-week spending bill to extend the deadline beyond the current budget timeline, under which the federal government would be scheduled to partially shut down in four days.

The NDAA summary report released by the committees includes several provisions impacting the civilian federal workforce. Most notably, the conference agreement provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees.

The NDAA summary report released by the committees includes several provisions impacting the civilian federal workforce. Most notably, the conference agreement provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees.

The NDAA summary report released by the committees includes several provisions impacting the civilian federal workforce. Most notably, the conference agreement provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees.

The NDAA summary report released by the committees includes several provisions impacting the civilian federal workforce. Most notably, the conference agreement provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees.

Following a Congressional request for more information, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reportedly declined to provide documents “related to accusations that outside businessmen are unduly influencing department policy,” according to Leo Shane III of Military Times. The VA has cited ongoing legal disputes in declining to provide the documents.

Last Thursday, after weeks of back-and-forth regarding whether federal employees could expect to see a proposed 1.9% pay increase in 2019, House Republicans reportedly “struck a tentative deal on a federal pay raise for civilian federal employees,” according to Federal News Network and The Washington Post.

Despite positive signs that pointed to an earlier and favorable conclusion, with nearly 200 lawmakers expressing support of a 1.9% federal pay raise in 2019 and Congress’ budget conferees also generally supportive of the proposal, federal employees will need to wait a bit longer before receiving final word on their pay for next year.

Last week, according to Nicole Ogrysko at Federal News Radio, Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) introduced the Reforming Government Act of 2018, a bill that would give “OMB the authority it needs to merge, transfer, consolidate an independent regulatory agency and its functions – or abolish an agency altogether.”

U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-WS) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) – the Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) – were joined by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Gary Peters (D-MI) – the Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight & Emergency Management – in sending “letters to the chief financial officers of 13 federal agencies Tuesday raising concerns about potentially wasteful spending in the final weeks before the end of the fiscal year.”

Following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would zero-out previously planned pay increases and locality pay adjustments for federal employees in 2019 -- a proposal that drew widespread and bipartisan criticism from the Hill and a diverse array of governance and employee groups – signs from Congress indicate the matter might not yet be settled.

Late last week, four members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC), including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), the committee’s chairman, and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), the committee’s ranking member, sent letters to the FEMA Administrator and Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) regarding FEMA’s July “investigative report concerning allegations of misconduct and mismanagement by former Chief Component Human Capital Officer Corey Coleman.”

Late last week, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of an $854 billion spending bill that funds huge swaths of the federal government, including $675 billion in defense funding and additional funds for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, and other agencies.

Following recent news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be relocating as many as 700 employees across two of its major components, the agency “has initiated the 30-day notice to Congress about its plans to move two bureaus outside the Washington, D.C. area,” according to a Federal News Radio exclusive from Jason Miller.