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

Leaked Memo Reveals Push to Use Shutdown for Federal Layoffs

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A newly leaked document confirms what many suspected: some in Washington saw the recent shutdown not just as a funding lapse, but as an opportunity to reshape the federal workforce...

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Partisan RIFs and the Law: Why Political Layoffs Are Illegal

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Federal employees, let’s cut through the noise. The President recently said upcoming federal layoffs would be “Democrat-oriented.” OMB followed with guidance urging agencies to “us...

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The Real Cost of Mass Federal Layoffs

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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently criticized the DOGE initiative’s approach under Elon Musk: focusing on firing people instead of fixing inefficiencies. The promise was ma...

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Civil Service Protections Still Stand for Federal Employees

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Every week, federal employees write me with the same anxious question: is the civil service dead? With headlines about RIFs, hiring freezes, and reorganization schemes, it’s easy t...

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When Facts Become Fireable: What the BLS Shake-Up Means for You

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Last Friday, the President abruptly fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Senate-confirmed Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), just hours after the release of an underw...

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Schedule G and the Return of At-Will Federal Jobs

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On July 29, the Office of Personnel Management quietly released guidance that could reshape the federal civil service overnight. The memo explains how agencies can begin using a ne...

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When Leadership Fails: What Federal Employees Deserve

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A new survey shows what many of us already feel: 95% of federal employees are experiencing rising anxiety, depression, or insomnia in 2025. For those of you showing up to work desp...

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What the New OPM Memo Means for Your Federal Career

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On June 17, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued an 18-page directive that quietly rewrites the performance rules for all civil service employees—GS-5s to SES alike. Whi...

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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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A Warning Wrapped in Policy Shifts

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Black federal workers—especially those in HR, EEO, DEI, and civil rights compliance roles—are being pushed out at an alarming rate. If you're paying attention, you know this isn't ...

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Federal Retirement Cuts: What Congress Dropped—and What It Didn’t

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Congress quietly removed a proposed 4.4% salary contribution hike from its budget package—potentially saving federal employees billions over the next decade. But before you breathe...

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A Return to “Schedule F”? What Every Policy-Facing Fed Needs to Know

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If your federal job involves influencing policy—through writing, advising, or analyzing—you could be on the verge of losing your civil service protections. A newly proposed rule 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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