OMB Behind Schedule on Open Data Initiatives
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not yet released guidance for federal agencies regarding implementing comprehensive data inventories, which could be delaying public access to government data. OMB also has not published reports on the 24 Chief Financial Officers Act agencies’ performance and compliance with the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act.
UPDATE: OPM Finalizes Rule on Removal Executive Order
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently instituted final regulations that would make it easier for agencies to discipline and fire federal employees. The final rule, set to go into effect on November 21st, was created based on President Trump’s Executive Order 13839 from 2018. The rule streamlines the process by which agencies can demote employees.
Future of Defense Task Force Exposes Major Vulnerabilities in U.S. National Security
On September 29, 2020, the bipartisan Future of Defense Task Force released their final report, findings, and recommendations following a months-long review of U.S. defense assets and capabilities. The task force’s results show that U.S. national security is at a turning point. The report states that remaining competitive “will require a paradigm shift in our defense posture from heavy, expensive, and antiquated, to lean, adaptive, and integrated.”
CISA Releases Guide on Safe Teleworking Practices
With many federal employees now teleworking, the importance of working from home securely and safely is high. In response to both new and old cybersecurity risks, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a guide to help individuals and organizations safely telework for the long-term.
OPM Halts Diversity and Inclusion Trainings Pending Mandatory Review
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a memo Friday pausing all diversity and inclusion trainings in the federal government until they are review by OPM. The move comes following several Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memos aimed at eliminating certain trainings that have been labeled divisive and anti-American, as well as a presidential executive order to the same effect.
House Modernization Committee Issues Final Round of Recommendations
The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress passed its final round of recommendations before the end of its term. The committee has passed 97 bipartisan recommendations in its 20-month lifespan. The latest set of recommendations includes several provisions strengthening the legislative branch, namely those that strive to reform the budget and appropriations process.
MSPB Report Offers Ways to Tackle Professional Isolation During Global Pandemic
Many federal employees have felt professional and social isolation while working from home recently in light of the maximum telework policy being imposed by the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) September 2020 newsletter includes a report titled “Home Alone 2020” that analyzes the effects of workplace social distancing on employees and the potential negative implications. It also offers some solutions to combat professional isolation.
OPM Guidance Proposes Updated Requirements for Public Service
An OPM guidance released on Friday builds on an executive order released by President Trump on June 26 directing agencies to expand the use of valid, competency-based assessments and narrow the use of educational qualifications in the federal hiring process. A primary goal of the executive order is to mimic the private sector’s use of competency-based assessments rather than degree-based hiring.
GAO Reports Highlight Racial Inequalities in America
In light of recent civilian deaths and issues of police brutality, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has created a landing spot which provides a broad look at GAO’s work on racial inequality over the years. GAO has identified racial inequalities and provided recommendations for addressing them in government and in the United States generally in many reports since the 1970s. The new landing spot provides easy access to all of these reports in various categories.
Expanded ‘G2U Initiative’ Strives to Bring More University Students into Public Service
The Volker Alliance Government-to-University Initiative is continuing to grow and expand opportunities for universities to collaborate more closely with the federal government.
Shifting Federal Employees Away from Low-Value Work
Recent updates to the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) Cross Agency Priority (CAP) Goals have focused on shifting federal employees away from low-value work toward high-value work.
Survey on Improving Data Management in Government by Chief Data Officers
Improving data management and inventory is a priority for federal agencies. Congress passed the bipartisan Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) in 2018, setting clear expectations for federal agencies on data governance. The Evidence Act formalized the role of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) in agencies and standardized CDOs responsibilities.
Payroll Tax Deferral Program Leaves Federal Employees Seeking Answers
The White House recently announced an executive order that authorizes employers to defer the Social Security payroll tax from September 1, 2020 through the end of the year for employees who make less than $3,999 per biweekly pay period, known as a payroll tax deferral. This new order has left many agencies and employees with various questions like whether employees can opt-in or out of the program and what happens to federal employees who leave their agencies before or during the window of repayment.
Trump Administration to Stop Taxpayer Funding for Critical Race Theory Training
A September 4, 2020 memo (M-20-34) from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought asserts that critical race theory (CRT) trainings for federal employees are un-American and go against the founding principles of the United States. The memo directs agencies to cancel contracts and cease funding for these trainings.
OPM Launches Annual Charity Fundraiser
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is launching their annual charity fundraiser, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), which will run from September 21, 2020 to January 15, 2021. CFC is the largest annual workplace charity campaign, involving over 200 domestic and international charity campaigns that raise millions of dollars every year. The program gives federal employees the opportunity to give back to their communities.
Agencies Focus on Reskilling During Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way the federal workforce operates and evaluates employee skills. Much of the federal workforce has shifted to virtual work during the pandemic, and this change has had an effect on the way employees work in the federal realm.
USCIS Furloughs Canceled Following Congressional Pressure
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was planning on furloughing at least 13,000 employees at the end of this month due to budgetary shortfalls. On Tuesday, Joseph Edlow, the agency’s Deputy Director for Policy, announced the agency will have enough funding to maintain operations through the end of the year following Congressional pressure.
OPM Launches New Records System
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is introducing a new records system titled “Federal Competency Assessment Records” that will collect and store OPM data to be used for training and development purposes.