OPM is telling agencies to communicate these protections to employees and promptly address any instances of retaliation that arise.
Michele Sandiford
- The Office of Personnel Management is reminding federal employees that they should be allowed to report misconduct of their colleagues, without fear of retaliation. In a memo to agencies, OPM says concerns about potential EEO complaints, grievances or personal liability should not discourage feds from reporting suspected wrongdoing. OPM is telling agencies to communicate these protections to employees and promptly address any instances of retaliation that arise.
— Drew Friedman - The Veterans Affairs Department is planning to go on a hiring spree. VA is ramping up to deal with an expected influx of new benefit claims in the coming years. The agency says it plans to hire more than 2,000 new employees in 2027 to help process a record number of benefits claims Veterans are expected to file in the next few years. VA currently has more than 13,000 employees who process claims, but expects the volume to rise due to its campaigns to reach veterans who have not enrolled in benefits. VA says in 2026 it received a record 3.15 million claims, 80 percent more than 2022. VA posted a claims processing job announcement on October 19 and is using its direct hire authority.
— Jason Miller - The Census Bureau wants to expand its research on new ways to collect data across its business surveys. In a new request to the Office of Management and Budget, the bureau says business survey results have declined over the years, and it wants to explore new ways to enhance data collection by gathering information directly from businesses via automated methods. The Census Bureau will share its findings of the process with other federal statistical agencies to help improve data collection across the government.
–Silvia Oakland - The end of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is official. Agencies have two months left to conduct required annual assessments of employee satisfaction and engagement. That’s after the Office of Personnel Management finalized a rule to decentralize the survey, while also making substantial changes to the required questions. OPM says the changes will make the engagement survey more useful and actionable for managers. But critics warn that it will undermine years of comparable workforce data and reduce transparency.
— Drew Friedman - Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren are calling for the Treasury Department to delay implementing TreasuryDirect’s use of ID.me until after the 2027 tax filing deadline. In a letter to Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, the senators say the accelerated timeline didn’t provide users with enough time to complete the transition to ID.me. The senators also pointed to the department’s overall use of the ID.me platform, even after Congress expressed concerns in 2024. The letter also cites the September 29 executive order that directs agencies to favor using Login.gov. In August the Treasury Department said it would require ID.me for access to TreasuryDirect starting October 28.
— Silvia Oakland - An industry group that represents companies that helps military families move is urging the Defense Department to revise a number of proposed rules governing the department’s moving program. Movers for America said one of the group’s biggest concerns is the ability of small businesses to meet the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Level 2 compliance requirements. The group warns the rule will force a significant number of moving companies to leave the military market. There is also new language in the proposed rules that prohibits service members from sponsoring or escorting moving companies onto military installations.
— Anastasia Obis - Democratic leaders on two House committees are calling on the State Department’s inspector general to investigate the agency’s personnel practices and whether it is requiring a partisan loyalty test for Foreign Service Officers. Congressmen Greg Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Robert Garcia (D-CA), the ranking member of Oversight and Reform Committee, say in a new letter to the IG that, if true, these practices violate federal law and department regulations. The letter comes after the Washington Sun reported career diplomats seeking mid- and senior-level assignments had been asked whether they voted for President Donald Trump in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections.
— Jason Miller - Air Force and Space Force civilians will soon be able to apply for the department’s highly competitive civilian development programs. But there is a major change in how the department reviews and accepts applications. This year, the Air Force Personnel Center Civilian Development team will not allow applicants to resubmit their nomination packages that were returned for missing documentation or administrative errors. The application window for these programs opens on January 6.
— Anastasia Obis
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