DIA is taking advantage of targeted local market supplement that was approved by the Pentagon last year for cyber, IT and STEM positions.

The post DIA sees STEM pay supplement as a ‘powerful recruiting tool’ first appeared on Federal News Network.

The continuing resolution reauthorizes funds to avoid a 22% pay cut for 11,000 federal employees who spend most of their time overseas.

The post Congress passes stopgap bill to avoid government shutdown, 22% pay cut for feds overseas first appeared on Federal News Network.

About 15,000 blue-collar federal employees could see as much as 12% federal pay boosts, once the Office of Personnel Management’s regulations become final.

The post Proposed federal pay adjustment could boost wages for thousands of blue-collar feds first appeared on Federal News Network.

The Social Security Fairness Act, a bill to undo WEP and GPO, has enough support to force a floor vote. But that’s unlikely to happen until at least November.

The post Bill to repeal WEP, GPO reaches threshold to force a House floor vote first appeared on Federal News Network.

In plan year 2025, FEHB enrollees will see 45 plan options, across 25 different plans, offering IVF coverage above OPM’s baseline requirements for carriers.

The post FEHB enrollees will see more choices for comprehensive IVF coverage in 2025 first appeared on Federal News Network.

Beginning in January, federal employees and annuitants in FEHB will pay an average of 13.5% more toward their health care premiums, according to OPM data.

The post In 2025, FEHB enrollees will see largest health premium increase in over a decade first appeared on Federal News Network.

The 2025 COLA of 2.5% will be added to retirement benefits beginning in January. But FERS retirees will receive a 2% “diet” COLA.

The post 2025 COLA will be 2.5%, but some federal retirees get a smaller percentage first appeared on Federal News Network.

Kevin Moss, Consumers' Checkbook senior editor, explains how federal employees can avoid huge increases in their healthcare costs in fiscal 2025.

The post Choose wisely: Not all healthcare premiums are increasing first appeared on Federal News Network.

Learn how to compare Federal Benefits Open Season plans with easy-to-use tools.

The post We’re ready to help you make the most of the Federal Benefits Open Season first appeared on Federal News Network.

OPM’s final regulations for the Postal Service Health Benefits program locked in rules on Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage for USPS annuitants.

The post How Medicare Part D will work in upcoming USPS insurance program first appeared on Federal News Network.

The State Department has named a new coordinator for its investigation into cases of so-called Havana Syndrome

The post State Dept. names new coordinator on ‘Havana Syndrome’ cases first appeared on Federal News Network.

The debt ceiling deal has come with just days to spare before a potential first-ever government default. On Sunday, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a final agreement and they are urging Congress to quickly pass it. Biden pronounced the development “good news” in remarks at the White House announcing the agreement. This followed a tentative compromise announced late Saturday. The deal risks angering some Democratic and Republican lawmakers as they begin to unpack the concessions, which include spending cuts. McCarthy and Biden spoke Sunday evening as negotiators drafted legislative text. They face a June 5 deadline when Treasury says the U.S. would risk a debt default.

The post Biden and McCarthy reach a final deal to avoid US default and now must sell it to Congress first appeared on Federal News Network.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy is suddenly confronting a new threat to his power. Angry hard-right conservatives have brought the House chamber to a halt, reviving their displeasure over the debt ceiling deal struck with President Joe Biden. McCarthy brushed off the disruption as healthy political debate — not too different from the 15-vote spectacle it took in January for him to finally convince his colleagues to elect him as speaker. But it's a foreshadowing of the next budget fight as Congress tries to fund the government at the levels agreed to, or risk a federal shutdown in fall.

The post GOP conservatives shutter House to protest McCarthy-Biden debt deal, setting up next budget brawl first appeared on Federal News Network.

The U.S. is sending additional fighter jets and a warship to the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman to increase security in the wake of Iranian attempts to seize commercial ships there. The Pentagon says the USS Thomas Hudner, a destroyer, and a number of F-35 fighter jets will be heading to the region. Defense officials last week announced the deployment of F-16s to the area over the past weekend and there have been A-10 attack aircraft there for nearly two weeks in response to the Iranian activity. The latest deployments come after Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strait early this month, opening fire on one of them.

The post US sending fighter jets, warship to Gulf region to protect ships from Iranian seizures first appeared on Federal News Network.

Officials say the United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine. The defense ministers of those two NATO countries announced the decision Friday. It is a major gain for Kyiv even though the fighter jets won’t have an impact any time soon on the almost 18-month war. It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict. Denmark says it will hand over some of its F-16s only after receiving its new F-35 jet fighters, which are due to start arriving on Oct. 1. Officials have previously said that Ukrainian pilots will need six to eight months of training on the F-16s.

The post Ukraine will get F-16 fighter jets from the Dutch and Danes after the US agrees to allow transfers first appeared on Federal News Network.

The Biden administration has approved a new $500 million arms sale to Taiwan as it ramps up military assistance to the island despite fervent objections from China. The State Department said Wednesday it had signed off on the sale of infrared search tracking systems along with related equipment for advanced F-16 fighter jets. Although the deal is modest in comparison to previous weapons sales, the move is likely to draw fierce criticism from Beijing, which regards self-governing Taiwan as a renegade province and refuses to rule out the use of force to reunify it with the mainland. The announcement came just hours after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen renewed a pledge to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense as she visited a war memorial from the last time Taiwan and China battled.

The post US approves new $500M arms sale to Taiwan as tension from China intensifies first appeared on Federal News Network.

A White House official says President Joe Biden will nominate a longtime aide who once worked for the first lady to represent the United States at the United Nations agency devoted to education, science and culture. Courtney O'Donnell is Biden's choice to become the U.S. permanent representative to the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO. O'Donnell would have the rank of ambassador. O'Donnell is a longtime Biden aide who once worked for Jill Biden. She currently is acting chief of staff for second gentleman Doug Emhoff. The U.S. recently rejoined UNESCO after a five-year absence.

The post Biden will nominate longtime aide who worked for the first lady to become US ambassador to UNESCO first appeared on Federal News Network.

The Supreme Court's rejected a conservative-led attack that could've undermined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The post Supreme Court sides with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, spurning a conservative attack first appeared on Federal News Network.

A Bureau of Land Management preferred alternative for a proposed large-scale wind energy farm in southern Idaho would shrink the size by nearly half.

The post Bureau of Land Management shrinks proposed size of controversial Idaho wind farm project first appeared on Federal News Network.

The Supreme Court has sided with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over controversial social media posts.

The post The Supreme Court rules for Biden administration in a social media dispute with conservative states first appeared on Federal News Network.

State wants teams of procurement specialists who not only know the contracting process, but also have deep insights into their respective markets.

The post State Dept transforming procurement with category management, streamlined processes first appeared on Federal News Network.

The Office of Management and Budget told agencies in a new memo to proactively manage AI risks, promote a competitive market and manage business processes.

The post OMB’s new memo details new requirements for buying AI technology first appeared on Federal News Network.

Christine Harada, the senior advisor in OFPP, said a new memo released today details four initiatives to help keep the acquisition workforce pipeline full.

The post OFPP pushing agencies to hone in on next generation acquisition workers first appeared on Federal News Network.

"We've got customers who expect things from us, whether it's tenants in buildings or agency partners who were looking to buy things," said Robin Carnahan.

The post Some governmentwide plans the GSA is cooking up first appeared on Federal News Network.

Hundreds of thousands of veterans have received additional benefits in the past year after President Joe Biden signed legislation expanding coverage for conditions connected to burn pits that were used to destroy trash and potentially toxic materials. The first anniversary of the law is Thursday, and Biden will mark the occasion at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Salt Lake City. Administration officials are trying to encourage as many people as possible to sign up by Wednesday, which would allow their benefits to be retroactive to when the law was signed. The agency is also trying to hire more people to handle the influx of claims, which is expected to cause larger backlogs over the coming months.

The post Veterans see historic expansion of benefits for toxic exposure as new law nears anniversary first appeared on Federal News Network.

While it may not yet be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, a potentially game-changing new federal medical research agency called the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is gearing up to power breakthroughs in biomedical and health research.

The post How a new federal agency for scientific breakthroughs can succeed first appeared on Federal News Network.

Next week the U.S. military plans to begin draining fuel from World War II-era underground fuel tanks in Hawaii. Work to drain the 104 million gallons remaining in the tanks is scheduled to begin on Monday. 

The post US military to begin draining leaky fuel tank facility that poisoned Pearl Harbor drinking water first appeared on Federal News Network.

U.S. officials say the number of suicides among military members and their families dipped slightly in 2022, compared with the previous year. This decline comes as the Defense Department tries to build prevention and treatment programs to address what's been a steadily growing problem over the past decade.

The post The number of military suicides dipped in 2022 as the Pentagon works on new prevention programs first appeared on Federal News Network.

A trial for a mass environmental injury is starting more than two years after a jet fuel leak in Pearl Harbor's drinking water poisoned thousands of people.

The post More than a dozen military families in Hawaii spark trial over 2021 jet fuel leak that tainted water first appeared on Federal News Network.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has undergone a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and has resumed duty after temporarily transferring power. He is continuing to deal with bladder issues that arose in December following his treatment for prostate cancer. The Pentagon says the procedure Friday was successful, elective and minimally invasive, “is not related to his cancer diagnosis and has had no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis.” Austin has returned home, and the Pentagon says no changes in his official schedule are anticipated, including his participation in Memorial Day events.

The post Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin resumes duty after undergoing procedure at Walter Reed first appeared on Federal News Network.

Change Healthcare is starting to notify hospitals, insurers and other customers that they may have had patient information exposed in a massive cyberattack. The company also said Thursday that it expects to begin notifying individuals or patients in late July. Change Healthcare is a subsidiary of health care giant UnitedHealth Group. It provides technology used to submit and process billions of insurance claims a year. Hackers gained access in February to its system and unleashed a ransomware attack that encrypted and froze large parts of it.

The post Change Healthcare to start notifying customers who had data exposed in cyberattack first appeared on Federal News Network.

Rising inflation is expected to lead to a sizeable increase in Social Security’s annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for the year 2022

The post EXPLAINER: Why Social Security COLA will jump next year first appeared on Federal News Network.

A former California pollution regulator is being nominated to run the nation’s highway safety agency

The post Former Calif. regulator tapped to run highway safety agency first appeared on Federal News Network.

Dozens of National Guard Army and Air Force troops in New Mexico have been stepping in to fill a shortage of teachers in schools

The post National Guard deploys for new emergency: Teacher shortages first appeared on Federal News Network.

California’s Fort Ord has been on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the most polluted places in the nation since 1990

The post What Lies Beneath: Vets worry polluted base made them ill first appeared on Federal News Network.

President Joe Biden marked Equal Pay Day by spotlighting new steps aimed at closing the gender pay gap for federal workers and contractors

The post Biden urges private companies to help narrow gender pay gap first appeared on Federal News Network.

Presidents come and go, but White House grounds superintendent Dale Haney has been a constant through the past 10 presidencies. As of this month, Haney has tended the lawns and gardens of the White House for 50 years. But he may be better known for taking care of the president's pets. Lately, he's often seen with Commander, President Joe Biden's dog. Haney started at the White House in 1972, and said he planned to work there for just two years. President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, surprised Haney on Monday by planting an elm tree on the south grounds to honor Haney.

The post Meet Dale Haney, the White House groundskeeper for 50 years first appeared on Federal News Network.

The U.S. Interior Department's plan to withdraw hundreds of square miles in New Mexico from oil and gas production for the next 20 years is expected to result in only a few dozen wells not being drilled on federal land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Land managers on Thursday released an environmental assessment of the plan first outlined by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in 2021 in response to the concerns of Native American tribes in New Mexico and Arizona. Environmentalists say the agency needs to take a broader look at the cumulative effects of development if they want to preserve cultural sites and limit pollution from ongoing development beyond the proposed withdrawal zone.

The post US outlines effects of withdrawing land from oil drilling first appeared on Federal News Network.

Frank Indiviglio, NOAA’s deputy director for High Performance Computing & Communications (HPCC), said conversations are happening about how NOAA can containerize its climate models in order to push the models themselves out to the public to understand, build upon and tweak.

The post Edge computing enables NOAA to push workloads closer to public consumers, not just field researchers first appeared on Federal News Network.

White House’s Jake Braun and CISA’s Ross Foard are two more cyber leaders how who left federal service in the last month as the RRB is seeking a new CIO.

The post People on the move: RRB CIO retires, IRS gets new CRO first appeared on Federal News Network.

A months long Federal News Network investigation found the Navy’s new electronic procurement system is facing similar challenges as previous failed efforts.

The post Navy’s journey to new procurement system remains in peril first appeared on Federal News Network.

Ryan Young of the Competitive Enterprise Institute discusses this country's 1.1 million federal regulations.

The post Finding your way through the thicket of regulations first appeared on Federal News Network.

Kyle Burgess of Consumers’ Research discusses how counterfeit products and drugs endanger the lives of millions of consumers.

The post When counterfeit can kill first appeared on Federal News Network.

Ben Lieberman of the Competitive Enterprise Institute describes the problems associated with the push for electric cars.

The post The downside to electric cars first appeared on Federal News Network.

Kristi Thompson, Federal Communications Commission, discusses robocalls and how consumers can fight back.

The post How to go RoboCop on those robocalls first appeared on Federal News Network.

Susan Diegelman, director of public affairs, AT&T, discusses 5G and what it means for consumers.

The post 5G and what that means to you first appeared on Federal News Network.

Bruce McClary of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling discusses special hardship programs for people in debt.

The post Help for people overwhelmed by debt in a pandemic first appeared on Federal News Network.

Congress has ended the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays. The Senate gave final approval to a temporary government funding package Wednesday night and sent it to President Joe Biden for his signature. The bill sets up a final confrontation on the government budget in the new year. The Senate worked into the night to pass the bill with days to spare before government funding expires Saturday. The spending package keeps government funding levels at current levels for roughly two more months while a long-term package is negotiated.

The post Congress approves temporary funding and pushes the fight over the federal budget into the new year first appeared on Federal News Network.

New guidance from lead cybersecurity agencies and industry partners provides both individual developers and large companies with software supply chain security best practices

The post NSA, CISA call on software developers, suppliers to improve open source software management practices first appeared on Federal News Network.

Congress has sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March.

The post Congress votes to avert a shutdown and keep the government funded into early March first appeared on Federal News Network.