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.

 
Understanding Chapter 43 vs. Chapter 75: What Federal Employees Must Know chapter 43 chapter 75 dod employees federal discipline federal employment mspb appeals Oct 30, 2025

A growing number of agencies, especially the Department of Defense, are fast-tracking removals by handling “performance” issues under Chapter 75 instead of Chapter 43. Both chapters have always existe...

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DoD Fast-Track Removals: What the “Department of War” Memo Means for You chapter 75 civil service protections dod removals federal employment mspb appeals Oct 29, 2025

A newly leaked “Department of War” memo is changing how the Department of Defense handles removals for “unacceptable performance.” It directs supervisors and HR to act with “speed and conviction,” cut...

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Federal Judge Halts Shutdown RIFs Nationwide administrative law federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals shutdown rifs Oct 29, 2025

Good news for federal employees: a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction halting all shutdown-related Reduction in Force (RIF) actions. This means agencies cannot issue or finalize RIFs th...

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CDC Workforce Purge: Reform or Retaliation? cdc reorganization federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals whistleblower protections Oct 28, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lost roughly a third of its workforce in just eight months. According to recent reporting, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) dismisse...

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Leaked Memo Reveals Push to Use Shutdown for Federal Layoffs civil service protections federal employment merit system integrity mspb appeals shutdown rif Oct 28, 2025

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. According to Polit...

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Shutdown RIFs and the Human Cost of Uncertainty employee rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals shutdown rif Oct 27, 2025

The latest shutdown-related Reduction in Force (RIF) filings put names, faces, and fears on record—reminders that behind every “cost-saving measure” are human beings who have served their country for ...

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Court Filings Seek Full Injunction to Halt Shutdown RIFs administrative procedure act federal employment mspb appeals preliminary injunction shutdown rifs Oct 23, 2025

Federal employees, the plaintiffs in the shutdown-RIF lawsuit are now asking the court to extend its temporary restraining order (TRO) into a Preliminary Injunction—a longer-term safeguard that would ...

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Shutdown RIF Case: Court Expands Federal Worker Protections federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif case shutdown law Oct 23, 2025

Federal employees across agencies remain protected under Judge Susan Illston’s Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), which continues to block all shutdown-related Reduction in Force (RIF) actions. In sho...

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Shutdown RIF Update: Interior’s Numbers, TRO Expansion, and What Comes Next federal employment merit systems mspb appeals rif shutdown law Oct 21, 2025

Federal employees, here’s where things stand in the AFGE/AFSCME case that’s temporarily blocking shutdown-related RIFs. As of this week, the Department of the Interior has disclosed the largest planne...

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Judge Expands Shutdown RIF Protections for Union Members federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals rifs union rights Oct 20, 2025

There’s a major update out of federal court—and it affects thousands of you navigating the shutdown’s uncertainty. On Friday, Judge Susan Illston expanded and clarified the Temporary Restraining Order...

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Are Shutdown RIFs Legal? What the TRO Hearing Means for Federal Employees antideficiency act federal employment mspb appeals rif shutdown Oct 14, 2025

For the first time in modern memory, federal agencies have begun issuing reduction-in-force (RIF) notices while the government is shut down. More than 4,000 employees—across agencies like HHS, Educati...

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DHS Management-Directed Reassignments: What to Do Now dhs reassignments eeo retaliation federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals Oct 10, 2025

Hundreds of DHS employees were just told to accept rapid reassignments to border and immigration posts—or risk removal. That includes CISA cyber defenders, FEMA staff in storm season, and TSA and Coas...

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THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE BRIEFING

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Stay informed, stay protected. The Federal Employee Briefing delivers expert insights on workforce policies, legal battles, RTO mandates, and union updates—so you’re never caught off guard. With job security, telework, and agency shifts constantly evolving, we provide clear, concise analysis on what’s happening, why it matters, and what you can do next.

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