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We know these are challenging and unprecedented times for our members, most especially public servants working at the federal level. We also know that you are receiving a cascade of news every day—sometimes it feels like every minute—and trying to make sense of it all.

To help cut through some of the noise, ASPA is sending this e-digest, Federal Workforce in Turmoil, a curated selection of articles and commentaries with an eye toward sources that may not typically end up in your inbox. We hope to capture what you need to know for as long as you need to know it.

The Education Department Is Preparing to Offload Its Student Loan Office

Eric Katz, The Washington Sun

October 15

The Trump administration is rushing to stand up an independent financial aid office for students. Employees say they’re unprepared.

Read More Here

Can the Public See DOGE’s Records? The Supreme Court Takes Up a Key Fight

Chantelle Lee, TIME

October 15

The U.S. Supreme Court said that it will take up a case to decide whether a watchdog organization can obtain information to help establish whether the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is subject to a federal public records law.

Read More Here

Is the Federal Workforce Repeating a 1990s Downsizing Mistake?

Ralph R. Smith, FedSmith

October 15

Federal workforce cuts are thinning the ranks of younger and newer employees. Will today's downsizing leave agencies short of experienced workers tomorrow?

Read More Here

HUD's staffing cuts hurt certain housing services, watchdog finds

Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive

October 15

Grantees, property managers and national housing organizations reported to government auditors that it has become more difficult to work with the Housing and Urban Development Department following last year’s staff cuts, according to a watchdog report.

Read More Here

VA says union contract "no longer applies" after appeals court ruling

Drew Friedman, Federal News Network

October 15

The Department of Veterans Affairs is once again pushing forward with sunsetting its collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees.

Read More Here

Disability accommodations at Labor get extra scrutiny with annual reviews

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

October 13

Labor Department employees with workplace accommodations in place for disabilities or medical conditions will soon have to justify them annually, as part of an agencywide review that begins next month.

Read More Here

USDA reshapes its food assistance agency, but employee relocations remain on hold

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

October 13

The Agriculture Department is proceeding with a reorganization of an agency that administers food assistance for millions of Americans.

Read More Here

Appointments off the books: The Trump administration’s quiet rollout of Schedule G

The Partnership for Public Service

October 13

The Trump administration has been quietly using a new category of political appointments, supplementing its broader effort to expand presidential control over the executive branch and politicize federal leadership.

Read More Here

Fraud-prevention work stalled at USDA amid staffing cuts and funding disputes

Eli Hager, ProPublica via Government Executive

October 13

Federal officials have identified ways to curb theft of SNAP benefits, but staffing losses, funding decisions and congressional inaction have slowed efforts to protect recipients.

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Some former federal employees are still struggling to find the right fit

Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive

October 8

Speaking outside of a job fair, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said that "a lot of people have landed" since the Trump administration last year pushed hundreds of thousands of employees out of the civil service through layoffs, firings and separation incentives. "But there's sadly been a persistent subset that has been very difficult to find a job that matches their skill set."

Read More Here

Bureau of Prisons re-terminates union contracts despite court order

Erich Wagner, Government Executive

October 8

Attorneys for the Trump administration said there is nothing in U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver’s preliminary injunction preventing BOP from canceling its collective bargaining agreements a second time.

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Social Security ends flexible work schedules, teeing up clash with union

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

October 7

The Social Security Administration is ending flexible work schedules for its employees, soon after imposing new restrictions on annual leave and sick time.

Read More Here

TSA took away its officers’ chairs. The union isn’t sitting quietly

Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive

October 6

The American Federation of Government Employees launched a public campaign to push back on a new Transportation Security Administration policy prohibiting officers from sitting while working at airport checkpoints.

Read More Here

OPM Sets 80-Day Target for Federal Hiring, Emphasizes Accountability

FedManager

October 6

The Office of Personnel Management issued updated guidance directing agencies to manage federal hiring actions within an overall 80-calendar-day timeframe. The guidance stresses coordination among HR, agency leadership, hiring managers, and personnel vetting offices to meet the timelines.

Read More Here

Commentary

Blockers and Grifters

Don Moynihan via Substack

October 14

What Michael Lewis reveals about DOGE’s war on civil servants.

Read More Here

What happens when the State Department loses its institutional memory?

Donald Heflin, Government Executive

October 7

With dozens of ambassadorial posts still vacant, the staffing of U.S. embassies is raising questions about the role of career diplomats and the experience needed to carry out American policy overseas.

Read More Here

Resources

When told to break the law, must feds just follow orders?

Joshua Gotbaum and Sean O'Keefe, Brookings Institution

September 10

The Follow the Rules Act, signed by President Trump in 2017, prohibits firing, demoting or sanctioning federal workers who decline to carry out orders that violate the Constitution, statutes or regulations.

Read More Here

Inside the Implementation of Schedule Policy/Career

Nick Bednar, Lawfare

According to Scott Kupor, 97 percent of the positions are at or above the GS-15 level, the highest grade on the General Schedule pay scale. The order also transfers some GS-13 and GS-14 employees, mostly those working within the Office of Management and Budget. This initial order transfers significantly fewer employees to Schedule Policy/Career than the 50,000 initially estimated.

Read More Here

Schedule P/C Fact Sheet

Produced by Rise Up, AFGE, Civil Service Strong and Partnership for Public Service

June 2026

Read More Here

Virtual Go Bag

American Foreign Service Association

AFSA strongly recommends working now to prepare a file with the following documents that pertain solely to you and emailing them to a personal email account.

Read More Here

Civic Match

Connecting top public sector talent with essential local government jobs.

Read More Here

FormerGov.com

Former Gov is a platform to connect former government employees and military professionals with those who could benefit from their experience, knowledge, and insight. Search and find the expertise you seek.

Read More Here

Virginia Resources for Impacted Federal Workers

Resources for impacted workers listed here including unemployment insurance, job search options and more.

Read More Here

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