People

New law brings big change to IRS in IT, cyber

A new law will implement a raft of technology and cybersecurity reforms at the IRS while also restoring hiring authorities that officials say are key to attracting qualified IT talent.

People

Lawmaker worried about DOD leadership shuffle

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) worries U.S. defenses in space could be at risk due to lack of permanent leadership at the Pentagon.

People

House approves measure to block OPM furloughs

An appropriations bill passed in the House includes multiple provisions to prevent OPM and GSA from merging and blocks any reduction in force arising from a budget gap at the human resources agency.

People

Connolly amendment would block OPM layoffs

The chairman of the Government Operations subcommittee is looking to check an administration warning of layoffs at the Office of Personnel Management in the event that a merger with the General Services Administration can't move forward.

People

Senate panel advances third MSPB nominee

The Merit System Protection Board is getting closer to having a quorum of confirmed officials in place to begin chipping away at its backlog of more than 2,000 appeals.

People

Senate panel passes law to prevent shutdowns as spending crisis looms

While Democrats and the White House fight over spending caps, some lawmakers are looking for ways to make a shutdown more painful for leaders in the executive branch and on Capitol Hill.

People

Shanahan out as Pentagon chief; Army Secretary Esper takes over top job

In a tweet, President Donald Trump announced that acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan was resigning and withdrawing his name from consideration to hold the top Pentagon job on an acting basis. Trump announced that Army Secretary Mark Esper is taking over as acting defense secretary.

People

No merger, but a long to-do list for OPM from the House

House Appropriators want the Office of Personnel Management to improve on its core duties including retirement processing without support from a planned merger with the General Services Administration.

People

Oversight Dems press FLRA chief on union, FEVS scores

Democrats on the Government Operations subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Reform hammered FLRA Chairwoman Colleen Duffy Kiko for her decision to stop recognizing the Union of Authorities Employees last December.

People

Funding bill looks to block USDA relocations

The House appropriations bill funding the Department of Agriculture nixes plans to move two offices outside of the National Capitol Region.

People

VA pushes back on health record oversight bill

The Department of Veterans Affairs is opposing a Senate plan to establish an advisory board to conduct oversight of the agency's $16 billion, 10-year plan to implement a commercial electronic health record system.

People

New ID policy looks to leverage government credentials

An updated credentialing policy from the White House aims to make PIV cards interoperable across agencies and tap federal identifiers like Social Security numbers to secure digital transactions.

People

HHS picks Arrieta as new CIO

Jose Arrieta, who has spearheaded the department's blockchain efforts, replaces Beth Killoran.

People

Defense Digital hunts tech talent with new recruiting contract

The $7 million DDS pilot, which extends to April 2020, will target candidates with backgrounds in computer science, product management, and user experience design.

People

TSA turnover alarms lawmakers

Security screeners at the Transportation Security Administration post some of the lowest satisfaction scores and have the highest attrition rates of any government employees.

People

Thornberry's proposes consequences for DOD's failed reforms

A legislative proposal for the 2020 defense spending bill threatens to restrict funds to certain Defense Department offices if the organization fails to implement business reforms.

People

OMB working on gov-wide cloud effort

An emphasis on category management includes plans to develop civilian agency version of the Pentagon's productivity and communications cloud contract.

People

Senators drill in on OPM-GSA reorg at confirmation hearing

Senators questioned President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Office of Personnel Management about workforce issues including a planned reorg that would divide OPM's functions between the White House and the General Services Administration.

People

DOD shifts employee training to OPM's USA Learning

The Department of Defense is moving the management of its training courses to the Office of Personnel Management and the government's centralized learning and development program.

People

Watchdogs warn on DHS vacancies

Frequent turnover and persistent vacancies across the Department of Homeland Security are limiting the ability of employees to carry the agency's myriad missions.