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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 Spending Billions More on Paid Leave for Federal Workers, Watchdog Finds

Raymond Fernandez, The Washington Sun

September 15

The Trump administration paid billions to federal employees who weren’t working because of their participation in deferred resignation programs, a government watchdog said in a report.

Read More Here

NASA rushed engineers out of their labs. They say it risks future space missions

Chiara Eisner, NPR

September 15

NPR spoke with seven current and former NASA scientists and engineers at Goddard who said the moves that have continued over the past 10 months have resulted in the loss of specialized workspaces, employees and expensive machines that were critical to making the Roman Space Telescope and other spacecraft.

Read More Here

Judge grants temporary pause in USDA relocations in new lawsuit

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

September 14

A federal judge in San Francisco is ordering a temporary pause of the Agriculture Department’s imminent plans to relocate employees across the country.

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DHS secretary defends smaller FEMA workforce after judge challenges 50% staffing cut plans

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

September 14

The Department of Homeland Security’s top leader is defending staffing reductions at its emergency response agency, even though it is no longer pushing plans to cut its workforce in half.

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Trump’s plan to halve FEMA workforce illegal, judge rules

Mira Bhakta, The Hill

September 12

A federal judge determined that the Trump administration broke the law when it attempted to cut the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s workforce, a ruling which coincided with America’s hurricane season.

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Judge halts "favorite EO" question on federal job applications

Erich Wagner, Government Executive

September 11

A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a decision halting federal agencies from asking job applicants about their favorite Trump administration initiative, concluding the essay question likely violated jobseekers’ First Amendment rights.

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OPM details expectations for new RIF rules

Drew Friedman, Federal News Network

September 11

Federal employees’ performance ratings will now be the top consideration during future reductions in force, as a final rule from the Office of Personnel Management takes full force this month.

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USPS Workers Most Impacted by Mail-in Ballot EO Haven’t Been Trained Yet, Union Warns

Jory Heckman, Government Executive

September 10

Bargaining unit employees haven’t gotten training on the changes outlined in the Trump administration’s executive order. USPS is contractually required to meet with the union before making any significant changes to the work that bargaining unit employees are expected to perform.

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As Federal Jobs Disappear, GU Students Rethink Public Service

Jacqueline Gordon and Caroline Garland, The Hoya

September 10

At Georgetown, which has long touted its public-service mission, students interested in government work now grapple with an increasingly politicized federal workforce that has fewer jobs and little stability.

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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.

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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.

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Schedule P/C Fact Sheet

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

June 2026

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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.

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Civic Match

Connecting top public sector talent with essential local government jobs.

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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.

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FEEA Layoff Loans Program

From the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund

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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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