The Federal Employee Survival Blog

Cut through the jargon and get the clarity you need to stay a step ahead of agency politics. Each article unpacks new policy shifts, court rulings, and workplace trends, then turns them into actionable tactics—so you can head off discipline, invoke EEO or whistleblower protections with confidence, and keep your documentation airtight. We also archive our most popular social-media explainer threads here, giving you the same insights followed by more than 150,000 people online even if you never scroll on those sites. Read, prepare, and keep your federal career firmly in your control.

 
CDC Leadership Crisis and Federal Governance Breakdown agency instability cdc leadership federal employment mindfulness at work whistleblower protection Aug 29, 2025

The attempted removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez highlights a critical legal issue: under federal law, only the President—not agency heads or political appointees—can dismiss a Senate-confirmed off...

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Why Lisa Cook’s Case Matters for Every Federal Employee due process federal employment federal reserve lisa cook removal protections Aug 29, 2025

When President Trump announced he was firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, it looked at first like another political flashpoint. But for federal employees, this lawsuit carries deeper meaning. A...

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Grand Jury Pushback: The “Ham Sandwich” Case That Didn’t Stick federal employment grand jury indictment mindfulness at work mspb appeals Aug 28, 2025

Federal employees often hear the phrase, “a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich.” That saying captures a sobering truth: federal grand juries almost always side with prosecutors. Which is why last we...

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Ninth Circuit May Halt Union Contract Cancellations collective bargaining federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals union contracts Aug 28, 2025

In recent weeks, some federal agencies have moved aggressively to cancel collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). For employees, this has felt like the ground shifting under their feet. A CBA governs ...

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Who Runs the CDC: Science or Politics? cdc leadership federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals whistleblower protection Aug 28, 2025

On August 27, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that Susan Monarez was “no longer director” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Within hours, her attorneys cou...

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Common Mistakes Whistleblowers Make — and How Attorneys Prevent Them federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals osc complaints whistleblower protection Aug 27, 2025

Federal employees who blow the whistle often step onto legal ground that feels both urgent and unstable. Many try to navigate the process alone, only to find themselves boxed in by deadlines, technica...

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FEMA Retaliation Concerns: What Federal Whistleblowers Need to Know federal employment fema employees mspb appeals retaliation cases whistleblower protection Aug 27, 2025

On August 26, 2025, more than a dozen FEMA employees were placed on paid administrative leave just hours after signing a public letter criticizing leadership decisions. The letter, endorsed by roughly...

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Whistleblower Rights After Disclosure with National Consequences federal employment mindfulness at work retaliation defense ssa data breach whistleblower protection act Aug 27, 2025

When Charles Borges, the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration, reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) copied the entire Social Security database into its own ...

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Silencing Black Women in Power: A Federal Reserve Trailblazer Forced Out career protection discrimination federal employment lisa cook mindfulness at work Aug 26, 2025

The recent removal of Dr. Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board, is more than a personnel decision—it is a warning. Dr. Cook is not a novice. She is one of the most re...

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The Banner vs. Reality: Workers First or Workers Forgotten? deferred resignation program federal employment mindfulness at work schedule f workplace rights Aug 26, 2025

When a towering banner with the words “AMERICAN WORKERS FIRST” was draped across the Department of Labor, the image was meant to project strength and reassurance. But for federal employees—and million...

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New Executive Order Expands Federal Public-Order Units executive orders federal employment mindfulness at work national guard tdys Aug 26, 2025

A new executive order is reshaping how federal public safety is managed in Washington, D.C.—and potentially beyond. It creates an inter-agency public-order unit, requires the Park Police and U.S. Atto...

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FEMA’s Erosion and What It Means for Disaster Response agency independence disaster response federal employment fema mindfulness at work Aug 26, 2025

On August 25, 2025, more than 180 current and former FEMA employees sounded an alarm that should concern every federal worker. Their public letter describes an agency hollowed out by political interfe...

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