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.

 
OPM Union Contract Terminations: What Feds Must Know collective bargaining federal discipline federal employment mspb appeals union representation Feb 17, 2026

If you are a bargaining unit employee who relies on your union for discipline defense or grievance protection, recent guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) deserves close attention.

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DHS Shutdown: Protect Your Pay and Record dhs shutdown federal employment furlough rights mindfulness at work mspb appeals Feb 17, 2026

A partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security is not abstract politics. For many federal employees, it means reporting to work without pay or being sent home with uncertainty about when th...

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Black Excellence at NASA: A Federal Legacy black federal employees civil service leadership federal employment mindfulness at work nasa history Feb 13, 2026

Most people know NASA as the agency that put a man on the moon. Fewer understand that the success of America’s space program rests in part on the work of Black federal employees whose brilliance shape...

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DOE Personal Email Use and Federal Records Law civil service protections federal employment federal records act foia government accountability Feb 12, 2026

NOTUS recently reported that political appointees at the Department of Energy used personal email accounts to discuss official government business while DOE was involved in a controversial climate-cha...

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100 Years of Black FBI Agents in Federal Service black history civil service fbi agents federal employment workplace integrity Feb 12, 2026

“Black history” and “FBI” are not phrases often spoken together. They should be.

This year marks 100 years of African-American special agents serving in the Bureau. That legacy is not simple. It is l...

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Telework as a Disability Accommodation: What Feds Must Know disability discrimination eeoc guidance federal employment rehabilitation act telework accommodation Feb 12, 2026

The EEOC and OPM recently issued new “guidance” on telework as a disability accommodation. On its face, it appears technical. In practice, it is likely to shape how supervisors respond to accommodatio...

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FAIR Act 2027: 4.1% Federal Pay Raise Explained civil service protections fair act federal pay raise federal salary gap federal workforce Feb 12, 2026

Democrats have introduced the FAIR Act proposing a 4.1% federal pay raise for 2027—3.1% across-the-board plus an average 1% locality adjustment. Whether it ultimately passes remains uncertain. What is...

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Musk’s Deposition Order Explained civil service protections deposition process due process federal employment workplace accountability Feb 11, 2026

Federal employees have been watching headlines about a federal judge ordering Elon Musk to sit for a deposition under oath regarding DOGE and actions surrounding the USAID shutdown. The phrase “under ...

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Can the Department of Education Be Dismantled? agency reorganization civil service protections department of education federal employment federal workforce Feb 11, 2026

If you work in the federal government right now, the headlines can feel destabilizing. One day your agency is supposedly being “dismantled.” The next, your job is “moving.” And no one can clearly expl...

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Black Postal Workers and Federal Legacy black federal employees civil service protections federal employment rights u.s. postal service workplace discrimination Feb 11, 2026

There are moments when public rhetoric attempts to reduce Black federal employees to stereotypes—minimizing generations of service with a single headline or comment. For Black GS employees navigating ...

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RIFs May Restart After Feb. 13: What Feds Should Do Now civil service protections federal employment mspb appeals opm rulemaking reduction in force Feb 11, 2026

Federal employees received a temporary reprieve when Congress restricted agencies from using appropriated funds to initiate or carry out new reductions in force (RIFs). That restriction is tied to the...

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Schedule Policy/Career: Loss of Loan Repayment & Incentives civil service protections federal employment retention incentives schedule policy/career student loan repayment Feb 11, 2026

Federal employees facing possible reclassification into Schedule Policy/Career now have a new and very practical concern: compensation.

Recent supplemental guidance from OPM confirms that, in most ca...

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