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

How RIF Plans and Hidden ARPs Could Shape Your Federal Career

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A recent legal standoff over Agency Reduction in Force (RIF) and  Reorganization Plans—called ARRPs—offers a powerful glimpse into the legal chessboard shaping federal careers. Jud...

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Proposed Pension Cuts Would Slash Federal Pay and Delay Public Services

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Federal employees, especially those at the GS-9 level and above, are staring down a troubling new proposal from House leadership: cuts to retirement benefits masked as budget disci...

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Federal Judge Signals Possible Block on Trump-Era RIF Orders

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Federal employees facing a potential layoff under a controversial executive order may have just gained a powerful ally: the U.S. Constitution. On May 9, a federal judge in San Fran...

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Fired for Telling the Truth: The Fallout from FEMA’s Leadership Purge

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The sudden dismissal of Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL and acting head of FEMA, has shaken Washington—and for good reason. Fired just one day after testifying before Congress...

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What to Do If You Receive a RIF Notice at Interior

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Thousands of federal employees at the Department of the Interior—including the National Park Service, USGS, and BLM—are facing sudden uncertainty as the agency prepares to issue Re...

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What Federal Benefit Cuts Could Mean for Your Pension and Job Rights

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Congress is weighing proposals that could significantly impact federal retirement and job security. While none of the changes are law yet, they’ve sparked real anxiety—especially f...

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OPM’s Workday Contract and What It Means for Your Federal HR Rights

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In a surprising admission of internal breakdown, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently handed Workday a sole-source contract to overhaul federal HR systems. No com...

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VA Workforce Cuts: 80,000 Jobs or More at Risk

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If you work at the Department of Veterans Affairs—or know someone who does—this week’s developments are hard to ignore. Secretary Doug Collins just confirmed in congressional testi...

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19 States Sue Over HHS Layoffs: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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When 10,000 public-health professionals received pink slips this spring and entire research teams were told to pack up by June, the shock waves ripped far beyond the Department of ...

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Schedule F and Project 2025: What Federal Employees Must Know Now

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On his first day back in office, President Trump reinstated “Schedule Policy/Career,” the new name for Schedule F, re-classifying roughly 50,000 positions—about 2 percent of the ci...

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House Bill Could Cut FERS Supplement for DRP Retirees

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When Congress promises stability and then moves the goalposts, anxiety spikes—especially for federal employees who planned their exit down to the dollar. Last week a House budget d...

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Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Misuse of Alien Enemies Act

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A federal judge in the Southern District of Texas just issued a ruling that’s making legal waves—and not for the reason you might expect. Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., appointed by...

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About the people behind the work

Shaun Southworth & Lydia Taylor

Meet the federal employment attorneys behind this public-education work and the podcast Civil Rights for Civil Servants.

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