Congress continues to work on what amounts to an agenda for the lame duck session

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. The remaining days of the 117th Congress leave both chambers with a bit of an agenda. Perhaps topping the list for the Senate is keeping its record of passing Defense authorization bills by the end of the calendar year. To get an update on all this, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: And now the lame duck is paddling away.…

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Political Hobbyism Has Entered the Workplace

In a 2005 episode of The Office, Michael Scott, the office manager, requires his employees to choose an upside-down index card from a tray and place it on their forehead. The cards bear a racial or ethnic label—Black, Jewish, Italian, and so on—and Michael tells the employees to treat one another according to the label listed on the card and to “stir the melting pot” by playing to racial stereotypes. The scene, which ends with Michael getting slapped in the face, mocks corporate America’s ham-handed approach to diversity training. Back…

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Win for Website Designer at Supreme Court Would Be Win for Free Speech for All

Imagine you’re an artist who creates custom websites. A new client asks you to create one that will promote a pro-life rally and celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Unbeknownst to the client, you disagree with the June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and in fact are an abortion activist in your free time away from your business. Would you create the pro-life message as requested? One artist might conclude that, while they disagree with the message, they’re still comfortable…

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THURSDAY at 9 p.m. ET – LIVE Celeb “One Chip Challenge” Warnock GOTV Fundraiser

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, December 1, MoveOn Political Action will host a virtual celebrity One Chip Challenge event to raise money to fund get-out-the-vote efforts in the Georgia Senate runoff. During the live #ChipInForGA event, celebrities will participate in this viral internet challenge by trying to eat a single Paqui tortilla chip made with one of the hottest peppers on the planet, the Carolina Reaper. Celebrities such as Tom Colicchio, Chelsea Handler, Bradley Whitford, Andy Richter, Padma Lakshmi, Sarah Paulson, and more will be participating in the event.  The…

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Bills, amendments linger in Congress with lasting implications for feds

Lawmakers have until Dec. 16, when the current continuing resolution expires, to pass the rest of the appropriations bills and fund the government next year, but it’s not the only item on the congressional to-do list with big implications for the federal workforce. Many of those additional items are included as amendments under the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2023. There are more than 1,000 amendments to the NDAA, and at least a handful of them have the potential to change the federal hiring process, federal benefits, retirement and…

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