President Trump recently signed an executive order granting federal employees a 1 percent pay increase in 2021. The order does not affect locality pay rates.

In a press release from December 15, 2020, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) announced their new chairperson, Allison C. Lerner. She began her term on January 1, 2021 and has previously served as the vice-chairperson of CIGIE and as co-chair of its Suspension and Debarment and Research Misconduct Working Groups.

Muna Abdulkadir was a witness for the government in a federal sex-trafficking case. In that case, thirty individuals were charged and detained as suspected participants in a sex-trafficking scheme. Of the thirty individuals, only nine were tried, and all were acquitted.

A Department of Justice press release dated January 5, 2021 announced that the United States has collected $7 million in Iranian assets to be distributed to American victims of international state-sponsored terrorism. The funds were collected as a part of civil forfeiture investigation that led to millions of dollars being claimed from several Iranian nationals and others who attempted to circumvent U.S. economic sanctions on Iran.

Federal employees, like the rest of the country, have had a challenging year. The final FEDtalk episode of 2020 reviewed the year through the lens of some federal employee associations. Host Tony Verngetti discussed how COVID-19 changed the landscape for federal employee associations and what the future holds in 2021.

Financial planning isn’t just for the super wealthy. Anyone can benefit from the guidance of a credentialed, experienced, and objective planner. Here are five situations that make you a good candidate for a conversation.

Last year, FEEA launched the Bill Bransford First-Generation Scholarship with help from the Bransford Family and the law firm of Shaw, Bransford and Roth. We are pleased to announce this $7,500 scholarship is available again this year for first-generation college students who are the children of eligible federal employees or are federal employees themselves.*

Human trafficking can occur in public settings like buses or trains. Learn the red flags of human trafficking to protect yourself and others from this heinous crime.

After several continuing resolutions to buy lawmakers additional negotiating time, Congress has passed a $2.3 trillion government funding and coronavirus relief package. As long as President Trump signs the measure by December 28, the federal government will not a shut down this year. The package allows for a 1 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees and includes $900 million in coronavirus relief, but the bill has been criticized for failing to take action on controversial federal workforce policies implemented by the Trump administration.

Schneider Electric Buildings Americas Inc. as agreed to pay $11 million to end criminal and civil investigations into the company’s fraudulent activity regarding contracts with the U.S. government. Schneider Electric has faced probes regarding their contracts to install a variety of energy saving upgrades to federal buildings. The company was contracted install solar panels, LED lighting, and insulation at federal facilities.

Are you a federal employee with a child in grades K-12, who needs some extra academic support right now? If so, you are not alone. We know the added stress of the pandemic and disruptions to the traditional school experience are affecting many families. That’s why FEEA has developed a new program for your children to access free, online academic tutoring for most K-12 subjects.

Last week, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) honored several agents and teams for their work during 2020 to protect the American people.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive on the evening of December 13, 2020 in response to a massive data breach due to a critical software vulnerability that impacted several federal agencies.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2021, which passed through Congress this month, includes several provisions that would strengthen the cybersecurity infrastructure of the U.S. The NDAA reestablishes the position of National Cyber Director within the Executive Office of the President and allows the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) to conduct online threat hunting for federal agencies.

With a government shutdown looming at the end of this week, lawmakers are scrambling to fund the government and approve emergency COVID-19 aid. The omnibus government funding bill is expected to also serve as the vehicle for two COVID-19 relief packages. The $1.4 trillion spending and COVID-19 relief bill must be finalized or all non-emergency government services will be shut down and thousands of federal employees will be furloughed beginning at midnight on Friday, December 18.

This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a lawsuit against the Housing Authority of the Town of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma and two of its former employees. A DOJ press release from December 15, 2020 announced a lawsuit that alleges that former employees David Haynes and Myrna Hess violated the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when they refused an African-American woman’s housing application for her and her five-year-old daughter on the basis of race.

In October, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the opening of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the U.S. government’s first-ever integrated law enforcement operations center directly supporting federal criminal investigations, victim assistance efforts, intelligence analysis, and outreach and training activities related to human trafficking and forced labor.

Government officials may be sued in their personal capacity for alleged violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA), the Supreme Court held in the case of Tanzin v. Tanvir, issued last week.

The Public Servant Protection Act is a bill designed to protect government workers, officials, and appointees from being targeted at their homes. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and five Republican colleagues, introduced the legislative proposal last week.

Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) on Tuesday introduced the Retirement Annuity Supplement Clarity Act to address the way the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) calculates the retirement annuity supplement for federal employees who have a divorce settlement dividing their Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuity.