OPM’s proposed rules on comparator employee standard raise controversy IN FOCUS: The comparator employee provisions in the Office of Personnel Management’s proposed regulations implementing President Trump’s civil service reform Executive Order 13839 would change the standard for comparator employees, fanning the flames of the debate over who qualifies as similarly situated, experts told cyberFEDS® in […]

President Trump at a White House news conference on Oct. 2. CAROLYN KASTER/AP Whistleblower is Vulnerable to Retaliation Due to Limited Intelligence Community Protections Under the law, the president is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected, but experts say the law never accounted for a president leading the attack on a whistleblower. OCTOBER 2, 2019 05:28 […]

AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s fiction about whistleblower complaint President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence participate in an Armed Forces welcome ceremony for the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)   WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald […]

White House attorneys directed sealing of phone transcript WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Friday confirmed a key detail in the intelligence whistleblower’s complaint alleging that President Donald Trump abused the power of his office. A senior administration official acknowledged that the rough transcript of Trump’s July 25 phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr […]

Whistleblowers Dealing in Classified Information Present Legal Dilemma Several presidential administrations have maintained that whistleblower law can’t force disclosure of classified material to Congress. House Democrats, including House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, (D., Calif.), want to see an intelligence-community whistleblower complaint. PHOTO: SHAWN THEW/SHUTTERSTOCK Sept. 20, 2019 5:34 pm ET WASHINGTON—At the heart of an unfolding legal […]

President Donald Trump‘s communication with an unidentified foreign leader is at issue in this case. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo ‘A deficiency in the law’: How Trump accidentally exposed a whistleblower loophole What happens when the administration won’t tell Congress about a whistleblower complaint regarding the president? The answer to the once hard-to-fathom question is complicated. […]

Déjà vu for USDA? Debra D’Agostino September 11, 2019 Agency News, Human Resources Comments Since June, when the USDA announced that it would be moving both the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), its two research agencies, to Kansas City, the USDA has been sliding downhill in this uphill battle. In August, […]

Notify employees that CBD products could cause positive marijuana test IN FOCUS: With the increasing popularity of CBD, or cannabidiol products, agencies must educate employees that using these products could result in failing random drug tests. CBD products may contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is found in both marijuana and hemp products, Joanna Friedman, a partner […]

Pentagon caught off guard by new citizenship policy, but promises to help impacted troops BY TARA COPP AUGUST 29, 2019 05:43 PM WASHINGTON The Pentagon said Thursday it would help service members affected by a new Trump administration policy that makes it more difficult for troops stationed overseas to get citizenship for their children. Late […]

Hundreds of Thousands of Delinquent Taxpayers Could Have Their Passports Revoked The IRS is cracking down on tax scofflaws, but some experts worry the agency is bypassing due process. AUGUST 29, 2019 06:04 PM ET The Internal Revenue Service has notified 389,000 delinquent taxpayers they are at risk of losing their passports if they don’t […]