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.

 
Can the President Deploy Federal Agents Without Consent? constitutional law dc home rule act federal employment insurrection act mindfulness at work Aug 25, 2025

Recent headlines have raised the question: can the President send federal agents—or even the National Guard—into cities that never asked for them? The answer depends heavily on geography and the law.

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2026 Federal Pay Raise: The August 31 Deadline That Shapes Your Pay alternative pay plan federal employment federal pay freeze locality pay mindfulness at work Aug 25, 2025

Every year, federal employees wait to see whether the president will allow automatic pay adjustments to take effect. By law, if the president does nothing, federal workers receive an across-the-board ...

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OPM Orders FEHB and PSHB Plans to End Gender-Affirming Care Coverage federal employment fehb benefits health coverage mindfulness at work opm guidance Aug 21, 2025

On August 15, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a carrier letter that will dramatically change federal employee health benefits starting in 2026. For the first time, OPM has ordered all ...

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CDC RIF Terminations: Your 30-Day MSPB Deadline cdc terminations federal employment mindfulness at work mspb deadlines rif appeals Aug 21, 2025

When final termination notices arrive, the clock is already ticking. This week, at least 600 CDC employees received notice that their positions are being eliminated through a Reduction-in-Force (RIF)....

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OPM Cancels 2025 FEVS: What Federal Employees Need to Know dei federal employee rights federal employment fevs 2025 opm Aug 21, 2025

For years, the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) has been the government’s tool to measure morale, engagement, and inclusion across agencies. But after months of delay, OPM just announced it wi...

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USAID Shutdown Class Action: What Federal Workers Need to Know appointments clause class action federal employment separation of powers usaid shutdown Aug 20, 2025

Federal employees and contractors at USAID just won an important development: a federal judge in Maryland certified a class action lawsuit challenging the agency’s shutdown plan. For those caught in m...

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OMB Apportionments Database Restored budget law federal employment mindfulness at work omb apportionments transparency Aug 20, 2025

Federal employees working in program management, budgeting, or oversight know that an agency’s ability to act often comes down to funding flows. That’s why the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ma...

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Probationary Feds: Why “Fully Successful” Ratings Won’t Always Save Your Job federal employment irs terminations mindfulness at work mspb appeals probationary employees Aug 20, 2025

A recent watchdog report revealed that the IRS terminated over 7,000 probationary employees—even though 99% of those with ratings were marked “Fully Successful” or higher. Performance was not the deci...

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How VA Union Contract Cancellations Impact Workers and Veterans federal employment staffing shortages union rights va employees veteran care Aug 19, 2025

On August 6th, the Department of Veterans Affairs voided union contracts covering nearly 400,000 employees. Overnight, provisions protecting schedules, staffing levels, and even parental leave disappe...

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VA Cuts Extra 4 Weeks of Parental Leave After Union Contract Termination federal employment mspb appeals parental leave union contracts va employees Aug 19, 2025

On August 6, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs terminated most of its union contracts — an unprecedented move that immediately impacted between 377,000 and 400,000 workers. One of the ripple ef...

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HHS RIF Pause in Rhode Island Case: Here's What You Need to Know federal employment hhs rif mindfulness at work mspb appeals rhode island case Aug 19, 2025

Federal employees at HHS have been hit with a whirlwind of updates in the Rhode Island litigation. Last week, a federal judge extended the pause on certain reduction-in-force (RIF) actions, clarifying...

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IG Oversight Under Strain: Safeguarding Your Federal Career federal employment inspector general mindfulness at work mspb appeals whistleblower rights Aug 18, 2025

Every federal agency has an Inspector General (IG) office, established to serve as the independent watchdog. Their role is to audit, investigate waste, fraud, and abuse, and to ensure that staff can s...

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