Quick Hits
*** Federal employees are having issues getting correctly compensated for missed pay during the 35-day shutdown.
Approaching two weeks since the end of the shutdown, the American Federation of Government Employees reports that some feds haven't received their full back pay, some automatic deductions have been incorrect, and agencies haven't given employees clarity on when these issues might be resolved.
Issues with the Department of Interior's shared service system led to discrepancies with deductions for National Archives employees, according to Ashby Crowder, a NARA employee and union chapter president. Crowder also said employees' payments do not appear in their online payroll system.
AFGE national president J. David Cox called the payroll issues "yet another slap in the face."
As agencies scrambled to issue back pay in the week back from the shutdown, the Office of Personnel Management cautioned employees the initial payments back could be wonky, and asked employees and agencies to be patient as issues get resolved.
Last week, 29 senators urged acting OPM Director Margaret Weichert to publicize when employees would receive their back pay.
To help make it easier for feds to dip into their retirement funds and make payments during future shutdowns, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board relaxed the loan program rules in advance of another potential lapse Feb. 15.
*** Christine Calvosa was named Feb. 1 to serve as CIO of the Federal Communications Commission on a permanent basis. Calvosa, who had been in the role on an acting basis for more than a year, has been at the FCC since 2014, and served as deputy CIO for technology and resiliency. Before that, she was CTO at the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The FCC's aggressive agenda requires an expert and agile information technology team. That team needs a leader with deep expertise in all aspects of IT development, deployment, and information security," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement.