That’s Not How Constitutional Amendments Work

Presidents typically spend their final days in the White House taking care of odds and ends: issuing pardons, signing some last executive orders, thanking staff. Joe Biden is doing all of those things—and also trying to change the Constitution on his way out the door. This morning, Biden declared on X that “the Equal Rights Amendment is now the law of the land.” Well, there you have it: The Constitution has a 28th amendment, and women’s rights have been enshrined across the country. Or not. Biden can’t change the Constitution,…

Read More...

How Does the U.S. Cabinet Work? What To Expect From Trump’s Cabinet Picks

Trump has quickly chosen the people he wants to govern beside him with his Cabinet picks.  Some patterns have emerged in those picks. One is that many of his picks have Ivy League backgrounds. Another is that many of them have openly denied the results of the 2020 election.  While Trump’s picks may seem unconventional and scary, why do they matter? Here’s what the Cabinet does and why it matters in your daily life.    What Does the U.S. Cabinet Do? The Cabinet is made up of 15 leaders of…

Read More...

The so-called budget is only the start of a lot of hard work

The top-line budget agreement Congress worked out last weekend doesn’t mean the work is done. Members still have to work out the agency-by-agency allocations and whatever policy riders each side can stomach. David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to give the industry view. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: And this is really going much further than the NDAA with its Title 800 procurement reforms year after year. This is kind of a big, important bill, isn’t it, David? David Berteau: It’s…

Read More...

Dysfunction in Congress spoils the work life of congressional staff

Few workforces have been studied and dissected as much as that of the two million-strong executive branch of the federal government. There’s another smaller, if no less crucial workforce. It belongs to Congress. The latest research shows wide-and-deep dissatisfaction among congressional staff members. For details, the Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with the President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, Brad Fitch. Interview Transcript:  Tom Temin And you have surveyed members of the congressional staff. What is it? About 30,000 plus or minus. Tell us about the survey…

Read More...

‘Telework is not one-size-fits-all’: Agencies defend hybrid work for feds in front of House lawmakers

Agency leaders are still adjusting their return-to-office plans after the Biden administration called for an increase to “meaningful” in-person work and cuts to telework for the federal workforce. The administration, in large part, has emphasized the importance of using data to measure productivity, engagement and other factors that telework affects, according to the initial return-to-office memo from the Office of Management and Budget in April. But left unsatisfied with the telework data available from agencies, lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee pressed harder on a handful of federal…

Read More...

REPLAY: Celebs Survive “One Chip Challenge” to Fund GOTV Work for Warnock

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, MoveOn Political Action hosted a virtual celebrity “One Chip Challenge” event to raise money to fund get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts in the Georgia Senate runoff on December 6. During the #ChipInForGA livestream event, several celebrities took part 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. VIEW FULL REPLAY HERE & HIGHLIGHTS HERE ICYMI, here are some memorable moments from the event featuring Tom Colicchio, Andy Daly, Chelsea Handler,…

Read More...