Trump’s RTO gets rid of the wrong federal workers

President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of a full-time, five-day-a-week return-to-office (RTO) mandate for federal employees has sparked heated debates across the nation. Framed as a strategy to reduce the size of the federal workforce and boost efficiency, this decision overlooks a critical consequence: the potential loss of the government’s most experienced and skilled employees. If history is any indication, this sweeping policy could usher in a new wave of resignations that would undermine the very efficiency it seeks to enhance. We don’t have to speculate blindly about what might happen.…

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New bill calls for penalizing career federal workers for policy resistance

  A new bill in the House would penalize career federal employees who don’t follow directives from a presidential administration. The so-called STRAFE Act would require agencies to report any policy resistance from federal employees to the White House. The penalties for violations would be on par with the consequences for Hatch Act violations. Texas Republican August Pfluger, who introduced the bill, said it’s meant to combat what he described as employees’ “coordinated resistance” to policies during the former Trump administration. It’s the same phenomenon that former Trump officials have…

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Federal workers injured on the job may soon have more treatment options

<p><em>To listen to the Federal Newscast on your phone or mobile device, subscribe in <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-newstalk?showAllEpisodes=true”>PodcastOne</a> or <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-newscast/id1053077930?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a>. The best listening experience on desktop can be found using Chrome, Firefox or Safari.</em></p> <ul> <li>Federal workers who get injured on the job may soon have better access to workers&#8217; compensation. The House <a href=”https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022233″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>passes legislation</a> that would expand federal employees&#8217; choice of medical providers. The act would cover the cost of medical care for injured federal workers who seek treatment from physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The current law limits…

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Agency in charge of legislative workers hopes to keep things rolling

<p><em>To listen to the Federal Newscast on your phone or mobile device, subscribe in <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-newstalk?showAllEpisodes=true”>PodcastOne</a> or <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-newscast/id1053077930?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a>. The best listening experience on desktop can be found using Chrome, Firefox or Safari.</em></p> <ul> <li>Several bills impacting the federal workforce are moving forward in Congress. The House Oversight and Reform Committee passed the <a href=”https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7376?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22honoring+civil+servants+killed+in+the+line+of+duty%22%2C%22honoring%22%2C%22civil%22%2C%22servants%22%2C%22killed%22%2C%22in%22%2C%22the%22%2C%22line%22%2C%22of%22%2C%22duty%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=3″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Change to Compete Act,</a> which would require federal agencies to evaluate candidates based on their skills for a position, rather than on education level. The committee also advanced the <a href=”https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6967?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22chance+to+compete+act%22%7D&s=4&r=1″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Honoring Civil Servants Killed…

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