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Shaun Southworth leading a federal employment training session with members of the Southworth PC team
 

MSPB RIF Appeals: How the 30-Day MSPB Deadline Works

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If you’ve been affected by a reduction-in-force (RIF), your right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) comes with a strict clock. Under federal rules, you have 30...

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How to File a RIF Appeal with the MSPB: Your Fast-Track Guide

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When a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice lands in your inbox, the panic can be paralyzing. Questions spiral: What’s my deadline? Do I have any rights? Should I hire a lawyer? And whi...

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Judge Orders Full RIF Plans Released by July 23

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A federal judge has ordered the release of agency-wide Reduction in Force (RIF) blueprints by July 23. If you’re a GS-9 or higher employee concerned about your job security, this r...

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Why Some Agencies Are Pausing RIFs—and What It Means for You

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Some agencies that once charged ahead with mass reductions in force (RIFs) are now quietly tapping the brakes. Officially, they’re citing early retirements and voluntary departures...

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What Federal Employees Need to Know About the Latest HHS RIF

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If you’re among the many federal employees stunned by a Reduction in Force (RIF) email, you’re not alone—and you’re not powerless. In the wake of HHS issuing revised RIF notices ti...

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Agencies Reassess RIFs Amid Voluntary Exits and Legal Pressure

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If you’re a federal employee watching the Reduction in Force (RIF) situation unfold, you’re likely feeling the emotional whiplash. Just this week, the White House admitted to track...

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Supreme Court RIF Ruling Threatens Department of Education’s Future

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In an extraordinary and troubling move, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has allowed the Department of Education to sideline 1,378 employees—more than half its workforce—w...

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Federal Layoffs, FEMA Failures, and What Federal Workers Must Do Now

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While floodwaters rose in Texas and 120 Americans waited helplessly on rooftops, FEMA’s call centers were overwhelmed with more than 16,000 cries for help. Yet 84% of those calls w...

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Supreme Court Ruling Protects Federal Task Forces

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Last week, while many federal employees waited anxiously for the Supreme Court’s decision on the nationwide RIF freeze, the Court quietly handed down a ruling with enormous implica...

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Will the Supreme Court End Nationwide Injunctions?

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For federal employees anxiously watching legal developments around the nationwide RIF injunctions, today—Thursday, June 26, 2025—could be pivotal. Not necessarily because of a dire...

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Congress May Grant Sweeping Powers to Restructure Federal Agencies

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Buried in the latest Senate reconciliation bill is a proposal that could profoundly alter the federal civil service. The Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 would revive executive ...

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SCOTUS RIF Ruling Could Trigger Massive Federal Layoffs

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Federal employees across agencies—from the IRS to HHS—are awaiting a pivotal Supreme Court decision that could either trigger or prevent the largest wave of federal layoffs in mode...

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