Ralph Smith

For the first time in more than two decades, the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) has a Republican president in the White House, a Republican majority on the three-member Authority, and a Republican General Counsel. The current leadership at the agency consists of the Chairman, Colleen Duffy Kiko, and Member Charles Arrington, both of whom were appointed by President Donald Trump. Member Anne Wagner was appointed by President Joe Biden.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) recently filed disciplinary complaints against two federal employees accused of serious Hatch Act violations. In both cases, the employees ran for partisan political office and solicited campaign contributions, even after being warned or given a chance to comply. These cases also show how Hatch Act rules now overlap with social media, government technology, and artificial intelligence tools.

Federal employees under the General Schedule receive a base salary plus a locality payment that varies by geographic area. The 2026 rates range from 17.06% in the Rest of U.S. locality pay area to 46.34% in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA, locality pay area. The federal locality pay system adjusts General Schedule salaries to reflect differences in non-federal pay levels across geographic regions.