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Articles by Eric Yoder
How the federal government can save money by following a to-do list
Every two years a small federal agency publishes a comprehensive list of pain points in the federal government. Based on a careful analysis, the Government Accountability Office creates a high-risk list of programs where at least $1 billion is at stake and the possibility of mismanagement or fraud exists. The list is a veritable manual for agencies and Congress to make necessary repairs to programs. It is available to anyone who wishes to read it.
How the federal government can save money by following a to-do list Original
Every two years a small federal agency publishes a comprehensive list of pain points in the federal government. Based on a careful analysis, the Government Accountability Office creates a high-risk list of programs where at least $1 billion is at stake and the possibility of mismanagement or fraud exists. The list is a veritable manual for agencies and Congress to make necessary repairs to programs. It is available to anyone who wishes to read it.
Government shutdown averted after Senate passes bill with just hours to spare
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Just hours before a potential government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate passed a roughly 45-day continuing resolution with disaster relief funds, an extension of a federal flood insurance program and FAA reauthorization — but no Ukraine aid. Saturday’s passage in the Senate ended a weeks-long House debate over government funding that Friday night appeared to be headed toward a shutdown.
By Marisa Iati Verified, Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff Verified, Maegan Vazquez Verified, Leigh Ann Caldwell Verified, Marianna Sotomayor Verified, Jeff Stein Verified, Eli Tan Verified, Jacob Bogage Verified, Tobi Raji, Amy B Wang Verified, Kim Bellware, Hannah Dormido, Adrian Blanco Verified, Adrián Blanco Verified, Tyler Pager Verified, Paul Kane Verified, Lisa Rein, Michael Scherer Verified, Peter Jamison Verified, Missy Khamvongsa Verified, Eric Yoder Verified, Hanna Zakharenko, Kati Perry Verified, Jeff Simon
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The Washington Post
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How the government shutdown will impact federal employees and contractors
Large swaths of the federal government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Sunday unless Congress passes last-minute spending bills, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed. Many operations will continue even in a funding lapse, though, leavingthe federalworkforce of 2.2 million either working with pay, working without pay or not working and not being paid.
Episode 95: Books About Maths
Books About Maths Once more stepping boldly where writers fear to tread, Megan and Allison are exploring books about maths – with the help of the YKNR community. Plus, Megan has an author product recommendation and Allison shares a picture book giving her all the feels. Books we mention Click on the links to buy from Booktopia or shop all of the YKNR Podcast recommendations on our dedicated Booktopia page. ‘Life in a Hollow’ by David Gullan .
GOP revives rule allowing lawmakers to target fed agencies, employees
The rules package House Republicans approved late Monday includes a provision allowing lawmakers to reduce or eliminate federal agency programs and toslash the salaries of individual federal employees. Called the Holman Rule, the measure was first proposed in 1876 but sparingly used until it was reinstated by Republicans in 2017 and then dropped by Democrats two years later. Now, the GOP is toutingthe revived measure as a critical check on the Biden administration.
Federal employees to get average raise of 4.6% in January
Federal employees will receive raises ranging from about 4.4 percent to 5.2 percent on Jan. 1, with a 4.86 percent boost to those working in the Washington-Baltimore area under an order President Biden signed late Friday. The order applies to the large majority of the nearly 2.2 million executive branch employees, with amounts varying by local area. The overall average of 4.6 percent is the largest increase since 2002.
Federal employee health-care premiums to rise 8.7 percent on average
Premiums in the health-care program for federal employees and retirees will increase by 8.7 percent on average for 2023 - the largest increase in more than a decade, the government announced Friday. That change in Federal Employees Health Benefits Program premiums is significantly larger than the 3.8 percent average increase for 2022, although closer to the 5-7 percent range of most other recent years.
Federal salaries lag 22.5% behind private sector, report finds
Federal employees’ salaries lag their private-sector counterparts in comparable jobs by 22.47% on average, an advisory group said in a Friday report that noted the “pay gap” has held steady over the last two years. The findings by the Federal Salary Council highlight the need for President Biden’s proposed 4.6% raise for federal employees, unions said.
Federal salaries lag 22.5 percent behind private sector, report finds
Federal employees' salaries lag their private-sector counterparts in comparable jobs by 22.47 percent on average, an advisory group said in a Friday report that noted the "pay gap" has held steady over the last two years. The findings by the Federal Salary Council highlight the need for President Biden's proposed 4.6 percent raise for federal employees, unions said.
Federal employee satisfaction, engagement show steep drop under Biden
When President Biden took office, one of his key pillars was a pledge to begin"strengthening and empowering the federal workforce." Yet in 2021, federal workers were broadly less satisfied and less engaged with their work under the avowedly pro-employee Biden administration than they were in their final year under President Donald Trump, according to a study released Wednesday.
Investors criticize federal retirement savings program over new system
Placeholder while article actions load Three weeks after the retirement savings program for millions of federal workers switched to a new operating platform, lawmakers are demanding answers as investors report widespread problems.
Federal retirement savings program to widely expand investment options
Placeholder while article actions load Starting next month, federal employees and military personnel will have a broad new range of investment options for their retirement savings program.
Democrats regain control of board overseeing labor relations for feds
Placeholder while article actions load Democrats now control a board overseeing bargaining and other labor relations inside the federal government after the Senate confirmed a new member on Thursday. The vote on Susan Tsui Grundmann for a seat on the three-member Federal Labor Relations Authority has been a top priority for federal unions, who have been waiting for a Democratic majority to reverse a number of Trump-era decisions they argue are overly restrictive.
White House tells agencies to delay vaccine mandate after court win
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at a drive-up mass vaccination site in Puyallup, Wash., south of Seattle. (Ted S. Warren/AP) WASHINGTON — The White House told federal agencies Thursday to hold off on reinstating a coronavirus vaccination mandate for millions of employees, hours after an appeals court rejected an earlier injunction that had blocked the executive order.
White House tells agencies to delay vaccine mandate after court win
A federal appeals court rejected an earlier injunction blocking the Biden administration from requiring all federal employees to have a coronavirus vaccine. (Mike Segar/Reuters) The White House told federal agencies Thursday to hold off on reinstating a coronavirus vaccination mandate for millions of employees, hours after an appeals court rejected an earlier injunction that had blocked the executive order.
Federal agencies must test unvaccinated workers weekly starting in February, Biden administration says
President Biden issued an executive order that all federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Federal agencies must start testing unvaccinated employees at least weekly for the coronavirus by Feb. 15, the Biden administration said in new guidance issued on Tuesday.
Federal employees to receive raises of up to 3.2 percent in January
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg) Most federal employees in the Washington area will receive a pay raise of just above 3 percent in January under an order President Biden issued Thursday, which sets 2022 raises for executive branch workers that vary by geographic area.
Federal agencies won't seriously discipline vaccine holdouts until next year, White House tells unions
So far, 92 percent of roughly 3.5 million federal employees and military personnel have gotten at least one dose of coronavirus vaccines after President Biden mandated vaccinations. (Oliver Contreras/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) Federal employees who have not complied with the coronavirus vaccine mandate will not face aggressive discipline including unpaid suspensions or firing until at least early next year, according to guidance from the White House sent to unions.
More than 9 in 10 federal workers are vaccinated, with only a small percentage seeking exemptions, White House says
Nov. 22 was the deadline for federal employees to provide documentation demonstrating they are vaccinated or to request an exemption. What will happen next? (Julie Yoon/The Washington Post) Ninety-two percent of federal employees and military personnel have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine while nearly 5 percent more have asked for exemptions on religious or medical grounds, the White House said Wednesday.
Federal agencies can start enforcing Biden’s vaccine mandates next month, administration says
Early next month, federal agencies can start enforcing President Biden’s vaccine mandates on federal employees who resist the order without an exemption, the administration said Friday. The process, which can start on Nov. 9, would begin with agencies counseling such employees.
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program enrollees face an average 3.8 rise in rates for 2022
Premiums for federal employees will rise by 3.8 percent on average in 2022, the second straight year of moderate increases despite the coronavirus pandemic, the government announced Wednesday. The pandemic has led to increased costs in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), theOffice of Personnel Management said, including roughly $1 billion to test and treat coronavirus patients.
Biden names nominee for long-vacant watchdog position at federal personnel agency
President Biden on Thursday made a nomination to fill the long-vacant position of inspector general at the Office of Personnel Management, a watchdog office that has at times publicly clashed with top management of the federal agency. Nominee Krista Boyd is chief counsel for oversight and policy on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which oversees federal workplace matters.
Biden announces pay raises for federal employees
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday announced plans to give all federal civilian employees an average 2.7% pay raise, consistent with the increases he had proposed in his 2022 budget. ″I have determined that for 2022, the across-the-board base pay increase will be 2.2 percent and locality pay increases will average 0.5 percent, resulting in an overall average increase of 2.7 percent for civilian Federal employees,” Mr. Biden wrote in a letter to congressional leaders Friday.
Unvaccinated federal employees will face discipline for refusing coronavirus testing at work
Federal employees who are not fully vaccinated will face discipline if they refuse to be tested for the coronavirus when reporting to work in person, the Biden administration warned on Wednesday. The latest guidance from an interagency task force says agencies will have discretion regarding how to administer those tests, including in-house, at another agency or through a contractor.
Pay raise and abortion insurance coverage included in budget measure approved by House subcommittee
Federal employees would receive a 2.7 percent raise in January 2022 as recommended by President Biden, while a long-standing ban on most abortion coverage in their health insurance program would be dropped, under a bill approved by a House subcommittee Thursday. The vote on the financial services and general government spending bill was the first in the process of setting spending and policy decisions for the budget year starting Oct. 1.
Federal government will maintain expansive work-from-home policies after the pandemic
WASHINGTON - The Biden administration on Thursday told federal agencies that more employees can return to their offices as the threat of the coronavirus pandemic ebbs, but it also laid out a permanent work-from-home expansion that will drastically alter the federal government's workplace culture.
Coronavirus live updates: CDC to review potential link between heart inflammation and mRNA vaccines
Please Note The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, where all stories are free to read. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet next week to discuss a possible link between heart inflammation and coronavirus vaccines that use messenger RNA technology.
Federal government will maintain expansive work-from-home policies after the pandemic
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday told federal agencies that more employees can return to their offices as the threat of the coronavirus pandemic ebbs, but it also laid out a permanent work-from-home expansion that will drastically alter the federal government’s workplace culture.
Federal agencies can lift caps on number of employees working on-site, Biden administration announces
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Covid-19 live updates: Seattle takes crown of most vaccinated major city in the U.S.
Please Note The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, where all stories are free to read. Seattle has fully vaccinated 70 percent of its residents above the age of 12, making it the most inoculated major city in the United States, its mayor announced Wednesday. “Now that we have reached community protection, we can lead the nation in safely reopening and recovering in earnest,” said Mayor Jenny A.
Biden administration tells federal agencies they should not require employees to be vaccinated to work on-site
The Biden administration has told federal agencies that they generally should not require their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to work on-site in federal buildings or to disclose whether they are vaccinated. Employees who disclose they are unvaccinated or refuse to answer a voluntary question about vaccination status should be subject to safety requirements such as mask-wearing and social distancing, new guidance says.
Biden proposes giving federal employees a 2.7 percent raise next year
President Biden used his budgetary proposal released Friday to reinforce how his approach to the federal workforce differs from that of his predecessor, calling for a 2.7 percent raise that would go into effect January 2022, exceeding any raise proposed by President Donald Trump. The budget also would allow for increased staffing at a number of agencies including the Veterans Affairs, Labor and Energy departments.
Federal employee morale ticked up in 2020 despite increased workload due to pandemic, government survey finds
Nearly half of federal employees said the coronavirus pandemic increased their work demands last year, yet they overall felt more engaged with their jobs and are more satisfied than in previous years, according to government survey results released Monday. Amid a widespread move to telework, 48 percent of the more than 600,000 federal workers who responded the survey last fall said their work demands increased somewhat or greatly because of the pandemic.
Federal employee morale ticked up in 2020, government survey finds
WASHINGTON - Nearly half of federal employees said the coronavirus pandemic increased their work demands last year, yet they overall felt more engaged with their jobs and are more satisfied than in previous years, according to government survey results released Monday. Amid a widespread move to telework, 48 percent of the more than 600,000 federal workers who responded the survey last fall said their work demands increased somewhat or greatly because of the pandemic.
Biden administration issues first government-wide guidance about how to test federal employees for coronavirus
The Biden administration has set the first government-wide standards for testing federal employees for the coronavirus at the workplace, telling agencies to be transparent about how the process will work and what might be done with the results.
Federal government faces ‘wicked problems.’ It needs more expertise, report says
Federal government faces ‘wicked problems.’ It needs more expertise, report says By ERIC YODER | The Washington Post | Published: March 20, 2021 WASHINGTON — The rules governing everything from hiring to firing for federal employees are "widely recognized as rigid, outdated and in need of major reform" — but not by breaking up the government's central personnel agency as the Trump administration attempted, says a new report.
The federal government faces ‘wicked problems.’ It needs more expertise, a new report says.
The rules governing everything from hiring to firing for federal employees are “widely recognized as rigid, outdated and in need of major reform” — but not by breaking up the government’s central personnel agency as the Trump administration attempted, says a new report.
New guidance for federal hiring and firing puts less emphasis on marijuana use as a disqualifier
New guidance for federal hiring and firing puts less emphasis on marijuana use as a disqualifier By ERIC YODER | The Washington Post | Published: February 27, 2021 WASHINGTON — Federal agencies should not automatically disqualify job applicants or take disciplinary actions against current employees for using or possessing marijuana, the government's central personnel agency has said.
New guidance for federal hiring and firing puts less emphasis on marijuana use as a disqualifier
Federal agencies should not automatically disqualify job applicants or take disciplinary actions against current employees for using or possessing marijuana, the government’s central personnel agency has said. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management released Friday lays out additional considerations for what the government calls “suitability” decisions related to marijuana for both new and continued employment.
Biden turns to Obama administration veteran to lead key federal personnel agency
President Biden has tapped Kiran Arjandas Ahuja, a civil rights lawyer, activist and Obama-era veteran, to lead the Office of Personnel Management, a department the Trump administration tried to kill but is now expected to take on a high-profile role, two people familiar with the decision said.
Federal workers could get more paid leave if covid-19 prevents them from working
Federal employees who exhaust their sick leave for reasons related to the coronavirus pandemic could receive additional paid leave if those problems continue to prevent them from working, under a bill to be considered in a House committee on Friday. Employees who meet certain eligibility criteria could receive as much as 600 hours — 15 work weeks — of extra leave time to be paid from a $570 million fund that the bill would create.
Federal workers could get more paid leave if covid-19 prevents them from working
Eric Yoder, The Washington Post Published 2:37 pm CST, Wednesday, February 10, 2021 Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., says that some federal employees already have exhausted their paid sick leave due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., says that some federal employees already have exhausted their paid sick leave due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Washington Post Photo By Toni L. Sandys Photo: Washington Post Photo By Toni L. Sandys Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Rep.
Federal workers would be eligible for paid leave for more reasons under this House bill
Federal employees would be eligible for paid leave up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period, including personal or family medical conditions and obligations related to a spouse, child or parent being called to active military duty, under a bill introduced Thursday. Most federal workers already may take up to 12 weeks of paid time within 12 months of the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child. But only unpaid time is allowed for the other purposes.
Biden to reverse Trump orders seen as hostile to federal workers Original
President Biden on Friday will knock out the main pillars of his predecessor’s policies toward the federal workforce, the White House has said, by repealing Trump administration orders that restricted bargaining and appeal rights and another that sought to remove civil service protections from a large class of employees.
Live updates: House Democrats eye impeachment of Trump as Biden forges ahead with transition
© J. Scott Applewhite/AP House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds a news conference in Washington on Thursday, a day after violent protesters loyal to President Trump stormed the Capitol. Democrats are increasingly eyeing a second impeachment of President Trump in the wake of Wednesday’s violent takeover of the Capitol by his supporters if Vice President Pence and Trump’s Cabinet officials to not remove him from office under the 25th Amendment.
White House finally tells thousands of political appointees they have to step down Original
The White House on Thursday told thousands of political appointees — from ambassadors to schedulers — to resign on Inauguration Day, a formality the Trump administration had stalled for weeks as President Trump disputed the election outcome. A directive was emailed to agency heads that political appointees must resign effective Jan. 20, the day President-elect Joe Biden takes office, a White House spokesman confirmed.
Trump signs pay raise for federal employees after administration talked of freezing salaries. Original
Almost all federal employees will receive a 1 percent raise under an order President Trump issued late Thursday that ends months of back-and-forth over pay for the 2.1 million executive branch workers. The executive order finalizes Trump’s original proposal early in 2020 for a 1 percent boost for employees under the General Schedule pay system, which applies to most white-collar federal employees.
Congress won’t block Trump’s order to strip civil service protections from many federal workers Original
The massive tax and spending bill approved by Congress would not prevent the Trump administration from stripping most civil service protections from a large class of federal employees, a dramatic reshaping of the career workforce opposed by federal employee groups and many Democrats.
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