What federal employees should know: A partial shutdown is ongoing and could last several days. The Senate passed funding for most agencies, but DHS is excluded. House Democrats won’t fast-track the bill, delaying reopening. Some agencies remain funded. DHS-linked services face continued disruption.

With hours left before the deadline, the Senate moved closer to passing a funding deal after Sen. Lindsey Graham lifted his hold. But because the House is in recess, a short partial government shutdown is still considered likely, even if the Senate approves the package.

Shutdown News: Senate leaders struck a short-term deal to fund DHS for two weeks as a shutdown deadline nears, but passage isn’t assured. Democrats pushed DHS reforms after recent fatal shootings by federal agents. The House is in recess, making a brief shutdown increasingly likely.

The U.S. is nearing a partial government shutdown starting 12:01 a.m. Saturday if the Senate can’t pass a funding bill. Democrats refuse to back DHS funding after the Minneapolis killings by federal agents. If talks fail, agencies like IRS, DOT, etc. could shut down, with furloughs and unpaid work.

A second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis has sparked national backlash and raised shutdown risks. Senate Democrats vow to block DHS funding, citing accountability concerns, as protests grow and a winter storm disrupts Washington. Watch live updates.

Federal employees’ union NTEU filed a complaint accusing the Trump administration of breaking labor laws after Department of Health and Human Services tightened telework approval for disabled workers. The union says the policy discourages reasonable accommodations and plans to seek arbitration.

GAO says SSA is losing staff after telework was essentially banned. Shocking, right? Telework was a top recruitment and retention tool, nearly half of those planning to leave cited its loss, and leadership didn’t evaluate the impact. Now skills gaps loom as staffing drops.

A federal arbitrator ordered HHS to restore telework for National Treasury Employees Union members, ruling Trump’s return to work memo can’t override union contracts. I'd expect similar rulings and negotiations at other agencies with active CBAs.

Hu? Wtf? Where are these factory jobs making 3x what we are? Trump brags about cutting 300k “boring” 🙄😡 federal jobs, claiming, with zero evidence mind you, those workers now make 2–3x more in factory jobs. But, uh, unemployment is rising in fed-heavy states (odd).

On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we remember that civil liberties were hard-won through sacrifice and courage. As federal employees, protecting civil rights, due process, and the rule of law matters now more than ever. Safeguarding these freedoms isn’t political, it’s our duty!

Be sure you’re following OPM and stay informed. Under Trump, OPM reports 317K federal exits, hiring freezes, return-to-office, stricter probation and performance rules, and program cuts. Moves that directly affect job security, workloads, and long-term federal careers.

AFGE made a decision to begin separating a unit of ICE officers after they sought to leave the union. AFGE emphasized respect for worker choice, noting the step follows legal process.

Check out this article that breaks down the FY26 spending “minibus” what it funds, what cuts were avoided, new workforce data demands, and how Congress is trying to limit agency shakeups while averting a shutdown.

House Republicans are split as 9 GOP moderates joined Democrats to force votes on reviving expired ACA subsidies, while conservatives oppose parts of a key three-bill spending package. Its narrow and internal fights increase the odds of a government shutdown if funding bills stall.

A good read to prepare for retirement. Federal retirement isn’t as stable as it once seemed. With shutdowns, cuts, and market risk, employees must plan how to turn TSP into reliable income. Read the article as it outlines two paths.

Congressional leaders have released three bipartisan funding bills aimed at averting a potential Jan. 30 government shutdown by funding agencies and key programs. Lawmakers are racing to approve these measures to keep government open and avoid furloughs or missed paychecks.

The administration pushed lies and propaganda about federal employees, and THAT is what destroyed trust. Feds kept services running through chaos. Don’t blame the workforce for leadership failures.

After a tough 2025, federal employees face more uncertainty in 2026. Agencies must plan for smaller staff, stricter performance rules, and changes to job protections, alongside new merit-based hiring.

More than 317,000 federal jobs were lost in 2025, that's roughly 11%. Most exits were labeled “voluntary,” but let's call it was it was, pressure and DRP drove departures. Cuts hit DOD, IRS, USDA hardest. 🧵

Happy New Year to federal employees everywhere. Thank you for all you’ve done, and especially to those who battled through this past year. Your commitment has not gone unnoticed. You are appreciated.

5 things federal employees need to watch in 2026: 1. Shutdown risk: Funding expires Jan. 30. 2. RIFs: Layoffs paused for now, could return after Jan. 30. 3. Schedule F: Civil service protections at risk; forced ratings coming. 4. Reorgs: Major agency reshuffles, relocations, office closures.🧵

Happy holidays! 🎄 Public servants make the holidays better by keeping lights on, roads clear, food safe, benefits flowing, and communities protected. While many celebrate, they’re still serving. Thanks to them, the season is safer, warmer, and brighter for millions.

Enhanced ACA subsidies face an uphill fight. GOP leaders Thune and Speaker Johnson oppose extending them, and Thune won’t bring a bill to the Senate floor. Congress may default to a yearlong CR to avoid a February shutdown.

Federal employees endured mass firings, forced relocations, gutted programs, and constant chaos in 2025. Hundreds of thousands were pushed out, missions were undermined, and public services suffered. This wasn’t “efficiency”, it was pointed terror aimed at public servants.

Oh good, more great news. OPM is moving toward forced performance rating quotas, caps on top scores, fewer rating levels, and easier “unacceptable” ratings for career feds. Political appointees are exempt. Nothing boosts morale like getting rid of rewards, adding more hoops, and easier firings.

DRP-driven retirements are swamping agency HR and OPM, causing lost paperwork, poor communication, delayed leave payouts, and longer waits for interim/final annuities. OPM’s new online application helps, but paper cases and high volume mean many retirees are stuck “in the dark” for months.

Former GSA official says the White House is quietly considering demolishing four historic DC federal buildings without GSA oversight, bypassing preservation laws. GSA calls it “fake news” and says nothing improper is happening. I guess we’ll see, just like everything else they’re “not doing.”

What on earth is going on? State just retroactively promoted over 200 Foreign Service officers after rewriting promotion rules midstream, swapping DEIA criteria for “fidelity” to Trump. No names released, no transparency, union cut out, amid RIFs and rehiring insanity.

This is a big step toward protecting federal employees. The House passed the Protect America’s Workforce Act (231–195), restoring collective bargaining rights for over 1 million workers and pushing back against Trump's executive orders that target our workplace protections.

IRS is shutting down pending hardship-telework requests and limiting employees to 5 telework days a year, with new approvals requiring top-level signoff. With mass retirements and an 8,000-case RA backlog, delays will continue and grow.

USDA’s reorg comment summary shows most of the 14k unique comments opposed the plan, warning it would cut staff, weaken research, reduce local service, and worsen transparency. Stakeholders urged USDA to delay changes, release impact analyses, and protect regional expertise and mission delivery.

Trump’s new management agenda doubles down on shrinking the federal workforce, centralizing power, killing DEI, and tying performance to loyalty. With mass RIFs, control, and AI replacing people, federal employees will face more cuts, pressure, and instability. What it means: 🤬🙄🤮

Former federal workers purged from DEI and civil rights roles under Trump are suing, saying the administration misused RIFs to target people, not positions, and discriminate against women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ staff. They want reinstatement, back pay, and cleared records. Good luck to them.

HHS is tightening telework as a disability accommodation. All telework/remote RA requests now require assistant secretary approval, with a 3,000-case backlog. CDC says current RA telework will be repealed and staff must return onsite while waiting months for review or appeals.

How many think they’ll make it another 3 years? After the 43-day shutdown, morale is shattered. Feds report chaos, crushing backlogs, pay delays, tech failures, resentment between teams, and a surge in people retiring or quitting. Nearly half say they’re reconsidering federal service entirely.

State Dept. is moving forward laying off 250 Foreign Service officers on Dec. 5, despite a shutdown deal that banned RIFs through January. They are saying notices sent before the shutdown make the cuts “legal,” but unions call it unlawful and will sue. Other agencies, like GSA, are doing the same.

We all know how money laundering works, right? Move money around, hide the source, make it look legit. When someone suddenly creates “kids’ accounts” or funnels cash through family to score tax perk, well, yeah, we see the game. If it smells like laundering . . .

House Oversight is marking up three GOP workforce bills: doubling probation to 2 years with mandatory “certification,” expanding reasons to fire; forcing detailed reporting on union official time; and requiring mandatory supervisor training tied to Trump-era priorities. Big changes could move fast.

The Tuesday Group is back on the Hill tomorrow. Their endurance is inspiring. 🤩

Vecna (aka RFK jr) can’t keep his dusty, mind-flaying tentacles out of your tax funded public health system. Call Senators Cassidy & Sanders today and tell them to publicly question Sec Kennedy on his lies. #CDC #HHS #StrangerThings #StrangeThings

DOGE didn’t just implode, it left a deadly wake. Its mass firings and the collapse of USAID cut off lifesaving HIV meds and aid, with experts estimating 600k+ deaths, many children. Yet leaders shrug it off as “efficiency.” I don't feel we’re talking nearly enough about the human cost.

We endured a 43-day shutdown because Congress and the White House were fighting over ACA subsidy extensions. Federal employees missed paychecks while politicians offered no new plan, no real solutions. All that chaos, all that harm, all just to expand three subsidies for another 2 years.

Good news: DOGE after stealing tons of agency data and causing chaos has officially disbanded eight months early ( I guess they found the next trillion $ idea). OPM says DOGE “doesn’t exist” anymore. The aggressive cuts and power grabs are over, and functions have been turned back over to OPM.

OPM’s new RIF proposal speeds up layoffs by prioritizing performance ratings over tenure and stripping many jobs of protections, making downgrades and RIFs easier. This rushed, underfunded overhaul could collapse HR systems, “almost as if the administration is intentionally destroying government.”

More than 3,600 federal workers who got RIF notices during the shutdown just had them fully rescinded under the new CR, it also blocks new RIFs while it’s in effect. However, 299 Education OCR jobs from a March RIF still remain in limbo pending the court decision.

Unions are suing to block Trump’s new “loyalty question” on job applications, saying it violates free-speech and politicizes hiring. Workers fear retaliation if they don’t endorse Trump’s policies. Next steps hinge on whether the court orders the question halted while the case proceeds.

New OPM “use/lose” guidance is out. Schedule excess annual leave in writing by Nov. 29, 2025, or risk losing it. Use it by Jan. 10, 2026, the end of the leave year. Get your requests in early and keep documentation so you don’t forfeit hard-earned leave.

A bipartisan House coalition forced a vote to overturn Trump’s EO stripping union rights from two-thirds of federal workers. The bill would restore collective bargaining for over 1M feds. Meanwhile, reversed shutdown RIFs leave many employees in limbo as agencies unevenly reinstate jobs.

Heads up, this new rule would yank whistleblower protections from over 50,000 senior employees, making it far easier to punish anyone who reports wrongdoing. This leaves you exposed to retaliation with no real safety net. This is how we see accountability die.

Oh, nothing to see here, just child-care programs quietly reshuffled and moved to the states so it can "align with national security." Normal, normal. It's funny how all these little power shifts keep happening under our noses while the dangling carrot is elsewhere...