The Partnership for Public Service and the Boston Consulting Group released their annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings, which rank the best and worst places to work in federal government based on responses to the Office of Personnel Management's annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, led by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), recently announced updates to travel guidelines for federal employees. In accordance with CDC guidelines, the government has lifted all limits on official travel for fully vaccinated federal employees- meaning those who have received their final dose of COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks previously.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently announced that federal employees can enroll in flexible spending accounts from now through June 30, implementing provisions of the FY 2021 spending package and the COVID-19 relief bill passed in March 2021.

The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government advanced a draft bill that makes no mention of a federal pay raise for General Schedule employees. Thus, the legislation effectively endorses President Biden’s proposed 2.7 percent average federal civilian pay raise.

Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA), Mondaire Jones (D-NY), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz on June 17, 2021 urging an investigation into alleged misconduct by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of the China Initiative.

The Biden administration recently released its National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, which includes plans to combat domestic terrorism in the United States through interagency collaboration, hiring new personnel, and updating the screening process to remove extremism from government.

Congress passed legislation this week making June 19 a federal holiday in observance of Juneteenth. The date celebrates the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas following the end of the Civil War. While two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, the date is viewed as the effective end of slavery in the United States.

The Biden administration released a memo on June 10, 2021 to facilitate the safe, effective, and efficient return of federal employees to the physical workplace given the declining threat of COVID-19. The administration lifted the 25 percent occupancy rule for federal buildings, but continues to require detailed plans from agencies regarding return-to-work initiatives prior to increasing occupancy.

The Senior Executives Association (SEA) and BGRS Relocation, a global leader in employee relocation solutions for public and private sector organizations, presented data from a global relocation trends survey indicating areas for improvement for American public sector organizations seeking to attract top talent from across the country following the pandemic.

The Biden administration recently announced that it would extend Title 5 federal employee protections to workers at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This includes granting them collective bargaining rights, access to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and aligning their wages with the General Schedule.

When President Biden issued a solicitation back in March requesting help from the federal workforce to handle the influx of unaccompanied children at the Southern border of the U.S., hundreds of employees from several agencies volunteered.

In a memo released June 7, 2021, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced that it will be a requirement for federal agents in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to wear body cameras when they are executing search warrants or making pre-planned arrests.

A final rule released by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on June 8, 2021 would make it easier for federal agencies to bring back former employees at a higher pay scale. Prior to the release of this rule, agencies could bring back ex-employees, but at the same pay grade they were receiving before they left federal service.

The White House released President Joe Biden’s full fiscal year 2022 budget on Friday. The budget proposal includes a pay raise for federal employees and pledges to focus on strengthening the workforce.

The Postal Service Reform Act of 2021, introduced in the House by House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY), could raise health insurance costs for both employees and retirees in the federal workforce.

President Joe Biden recently released a $6 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2022. The budget proposal would raise total spending to $8.2 trillion by 2031. Non-defense discretionary spending would be increased by 16 percent, while defense spending would increase by 1.7 percent.

The House Committee on Appropriations introduced a $1.9 billion proposal to increase security measures at the Capitol and cover overtime and hazard pay for officers who defended the Capitol during the January 6, 2021 insurrection. The bill was approved in the House with a 213-212 vote and will now move to the Senate.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a tip sheet for human resources (HR) staff at federal agencies as employees prepare to return to the office following the pandemic. The release of the tip sheet coincides with May being Mental Health Awareness Month.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reshaping its workforce training and hiring strategy to better respond to global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. At the DHS Centers of Excellence Summit, held at George Mason University, department leaders said they were looking to hire and retain a workforce that can adapt to change in a dynamic environment.

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in new, updated guidance that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks in both indoor and outdoor settings, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent agencies an email lifting the mask mandate in federal facilities while retaining other pandemic protocols.