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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.

We encourage you to forward this digest to those in your network to be added to our distribution list.

Trump Is Quietly Planning to Majorly Change How National Parks Are Run

Anna Kramer and Eric Katz, NOTUS

September 8

The Trump administration is planning to significantly reorganize the National Park Service and other bureaus of the Interior Department, the second major shake-up of the nation’s public lands infrastructure in less than two years.

Read More Here

US Forest Service closing 23 research facilities as part of reorganization under Trump

Matthew Brown, AP News

September 3

The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research and development stations in more than a dozen states as part of an organizational overhaul under President Donald Trump that is intended to trim costs and concentrate the agency’s resources in Western states.

Read More Here

USDA employees dispute "inflated" claim that most staff asked to relocate will do so

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

September 3

USDA employees say they have nothing to lose by saying they plan to relocate, even if they have no intention of moving, or are only considering it as a last resort.

Read More Here

Inside the failed mission to eliminate FEMA

Rebecca Hersher, NPR

September 3

"I think they're probably in a go-along-to-get-along kind of mode," says David Richardson, who led FEMA as acting administrator for much of 2025 and has since left the federal government. "I don't see there being a whole lot of change."

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Former pardon atty calls MSPB "a dead end," sues for reinstatement

Erich Wagner, Government Executive

September 3

Her removal was one of the first in a string of so-called Article II firings at the Justice Department that eventually encompassed attorneys, prosecutors and immigration judges. In these cases, the department has elided the firing procedures and rules set forth by the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, instead arguing that the president has constitutional authority to remove these employees at will.

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Inspectors general are facing an identity crisis. Here’s how some former IGs would preserve the watchdogs’ independence

Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive

September 3

As President Donald Trump installs individuals with political histories into inspector general positions, which historically have been nonpartisan agency watchdog roles, a panel of current and former oversight officials discussed what actions lawmakers could take to protect IG independence moving forward.

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"Critical employees will begin to retire": Trump’s new pay plan will deny most federal roles a raise, and it has workers warning of a retention crunch

Sasha Rogelberg, FORTUNE

September 2

President Donald Trump is taking action to ensure most federal workers do not see a pay increase next year and denying concerns about its impact on employee retention and agency productivity, despite warnings to the contrary.

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OPM taps new healthcare and insurance chief ahead of Open Season

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

September 2

The Office of Personnel Management’s healthcare and insurance division, following recent staffing reductions, is getting new leadership ahead of its busy Open Season.

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Interior Department Staff Fear a Major Agency Shake-Up

Anna Kramer and Eric Katz, NOTUS

September 2

With limited insight into the Trump administration’s plans for the Interior Department, and recent reassignments affecting some of the agency’s top experts, current and former staff are seeing signs of a dramatic shake-up on the horizon.

Read More Here

Unions Sue to Stop OPM’s New Federal Employee Rating, Suitability Rules

FedManager

September 1

A coalition of federal employee unions filed a lawsuit to stop implementation of two major rule changes from the Trump administration that affect how federal employees are disciplined and rated.

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The Trump Administration Is Dismantling One of America’s Greatest Strategic Assets: Its Scientific Workforce

Jenna Norton, Max Stier, Union of Concerned Scientists

September 1

America’s global leadership in science has been built over decades through bipartisan investments in research, universities, and a federal workforce of scientists, physicians, and public health experts whose work has led to major medical advances and protection against disease. This foundation is now being weakened, with thousands of federal scientists and public health professionals having been jettisoned by the Trump administration, along with reductions in funding and the elimination of vital programs, research grants and clinical trials.

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RFK Jr.’s Health Department leads Trump’s push to add politicals to the federal workforce

Amanda Chu, Politico

August 28

Political roles are way up. Career staffing is way down, despite a push to hire after last year’s downsizing.

Read More Here

Commentary

Holding agencies accountable for their human capital

Ron Sanders, Federal News Network

September 3

HR leaders should be treated like adults and held accountable.

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Restoring Independence to Government Watchdogs

John Roth via The Brennan Center

August 28

Stronger job protections, auditing standards, and oversight are needed to allow inspectors general to do their jobs effectively.

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Can the president ignore the CSRA’s job protections for federal employees?

George Chuzi and Steve Pershing, Federal News Network

August 26

Since early 2025, innumerable career federal employees have been fired without warning, without charges, and without being told they have the right to appeal, all justified by a single phrase: “Pursuant to Article II,” meaning the asserted power of the president to ignore those protections and fire government workers at will. Whether that justification holds up under the law will soon be decided by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Read More Here

Resources

Inside the Implementation of Schedule Policy/Career

Nick Bednar, Lawfare

June 5

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

FEEA Layoff Loans Program

From the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund

Read More Here

Maryland loan program for laid-off federal workers

Marylanders affected by federal layoffs this year can apply for an interest-free state loan to help them pay the bills in the short term.

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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