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

The House Passed a Stopgap to December 4. Here's Your Real Shutdown Timeline.

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A federal government shutdown remains a real possibility this fall, even though the House just voted to fund the government. On Tuesday, the House passed a stopgap continuing resol...

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Government Shutdown Looming October 1: Three Moves for Federal Employees to Make Now

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A government shutdown could begin as soon as October 1, 2026, and federal employees who wait until the fiscal year ends to prepare may find themselves scrambling. Congress has pass...

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Federal Worker Credit Protection Act Explained

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A missed credit card payment can feel personal, even when the cause was completely outside your control. For federal employees affected by the 76-day DHS shutdown, the harm was not...

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DHS Shutdown Pay Gap: Who’s Still Unpaid

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A recent executive order redirected funds to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, delivering two missed paychecks to many employees. While that relief matters...

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TSA Shutdown Pay Rights for Federal Employees

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TSA officers are once again doing essential federal work without a current paycheck. Since the DHS-only shutdown began on February 14, officers classified as “excepted” have been l...

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DHS Shutdown and TSA Pay: Your Back Pay Rights and Key Deadlines

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During the ongoing partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown, tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are continuing to report to work wit...

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DHS Partial Shutdown: What Feds Should Do Now

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As of February 23, 2026, most of the federal government is funded through the end of the fiscal year. The Department of Homeland Security is not. Congress passed full-year appropri...

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Shutdown Timecard Risks for Federal Employees

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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-...

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OPM Back Pay Guidance Changes and a New Bill That Could Fix It

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Federal employees may feel relief that the recent shutdown ended, but a quiet change by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) deserves attention. OPM recently removed language f...

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Shutdown Update: DHS is the Pressure Point

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Many federal employees woke up this morning hoping for closure. The partial shutdown is only a few days old, and there is a real chance it ends later today. If that happens, some f...

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Partial Shutdown Update: DHS Is the Real Pressure Point

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For many federal employees, the word “reopening” sounds like relief. But this week’s partial government shutdown illustrates an uncomfortable truth: reopening parts of the governme...

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Shutdown Update: Senate Deal Framework Explained

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Federal employees received an unexpected update late Thursday afternoon: according to the New York Times, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the White House have reached a f...

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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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