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 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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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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Black Federal Employees: History, Policy & Power black federal employees eeo complaints federal employment mindfulness at work workplace discrimination Feb 10, 2026

Black History Month inside the federal government is more than celebration. It is context. For GS-9 and above employees navigating promotions, discipline, reorganizations, or EEO challenges, context i...

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OPM RIF Appeal Rule: MSPB Rights at Risk due process federal employment mspb appeals opm regulations reduction in force Feb 10, 2026

Federal employees facing a Reduction-in-Force (RIF) already carry enough uncertainty. A new proposed rule from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) would fundamentally change how those actions are...

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Shutdown Timecard Risks for Federal Employees anti-deficiency act civil service protections federal employment government shutdown time and attendance Feb 10, 2026

Every federal employee knows the tension of a shutdown week: unclear guidance, shifting emails, and pressure to “keep things running.” But when that confusion spills into time-and-attendance reporting...

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Judge Orders Musk Deposition Over USAID Shutdown accountability depositions federal employment rule of law usaid shutdown Feb 09, 2026

A federal judge has ordered Elon Musk to sit for a sworn deposition about DOGE’s role in the USAID shutdown—and used language rarely seen in this context. The court found “extraordinary circumstances”...

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From History to Policy: Black Employees in Federal Service black history month civil service protections federal employment mindfulness at work workplace equity Feb 09, 2026

Black History Month is often framed as a moment to reflect on the past. For Black federal employees, it is also a moment to understand the present—and to ask harder questions about the systems that sh...

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Schedule Policy/Career: Which Federal Jobs Are at Risk federal employee rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals schedule policy/career Feb 09, 2026

The Office of Personnel Management has finalized a new rule creating Schedule Policy/Career, a classification aimed at “policy-influencing” positions. The government’s own estimate is that roughly 2% ...

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DHS Shutdown Deadline: What Federal Employees Should Expect continuing resolution dhs shutdown federal employment mindfulness at work tsa employees Feb 09, 2026

As of Monday, February 9, 2026, the federal government is technically open—but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is once again on the edge. Congress ended a four-day partial shutdown on Februa...

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Is Title VII Really “Colorblind”? What the Law Requires eeo law federal employment mindfulness at work title vii workplace discrimination Feb 06, 2026

Federal employees are hearing a new phrase surface in official discourse: that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is “colorblind.” At first glance, that idea may sound reassuring—fairness through treat...

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Black History Month in Federal Workplaces: Who Makes It Happen black history month federal employment federal workforce mindfulness at work workplace inclusion Feb 06, 2026

If someone has ever been responsible for planning a Black History Month event at work, the pattern is familiar. The group emails. The speaker outreach. The scramble to make something meaningful with l...

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