Attorneys for Federal Employees — Nationwide

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Today at a Glance

• USDA Relocations: Food Safety and Inspection Service employees flagged for reassignment have until June 30 to agree to move or accept separation; declining means involuntary separation on September 30, and USDA says the reassignments cannot be appealed to the MSPB.
• Defense Workforce: A new GAO report finds the Pentagon shed about 78,000 civilian employees in 2025 without consistently analyzing the effects, and that several components skipped a required explanation to Congress.
• Oversight Independence: A Partnership for Public Service report flags political appointees placed inside the Labor and HUD inspector general offices for the first time since at least 2009, raising independence concerns for the watchdogs employees rely on.

Top Stories:

1.  USDA Sets a June 30 Deadline for FSIS Employees — Relocate, Resign, or Be Removed

Source: Federal News Network, June 4, 2026

TL;DR: The Agriculture Department has told Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) employees flagged for reassignment that they have until June 30 to decide whether to relocate, with the move taking effect at the end of September. An internal "updated management-directed reassignment acknowledgement," obtained by Federal News Network, states that employees who decline must accept a separation offer by the end of the month; those who decline will be treated as "involuntarily separated" as of September 30 and may be eligible for severance pay. Employees who neither resign nor report to their new duty station by September 30 will be removed "for failure to accept a reassignment." The notice also states that employees will not be allowed to appeal the reassignments to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). FSIS plans to move about two-thirds of its D.C.-area workforce to locations including Iowa and Georgia, part of a broader USDA reorganization relocating more than half of its D.C.-area staff. A separate May 29 USDA memo authorizes a flat "lump-sum" moving reimbursement in place of the traditional actual-cost model; AFGE Local 3403 estimates the change could leave some employees $9,000 to $14,000 out of pocket on a move from D.C. to Kansas City.

For federal employees, this means:

• If you received a management-directed reassignment notice, calendar the June 30 decision deadline and the September 30 effective date now, and keep every document the agency sends — the notice, the acknowledgement form, and any separation or severance paperwork.
• Declining a directed reassignment can lead to either an "involuntary separation" (which may carry severance) or a removal "for failure to accept a reassignment" — these are different outcomes with different consequences for severance, future eligibility, and your record. Confirm in writing which one the agency is applying to you.
• Compare the lump-sum reimbursement offer against your actual projected moving costs before you sign anything; the flat rate may not cover temporary housing or a long-distance household move.

Legal Insight:
A geographic reassignment directed by management is generally not itself an action you can appeal to the MSPB, but a removal imposed because you declined it is ordinarily an appealable adverse action under 5 U.S.C. § 7512, and the Board reviews whether the reassignment served a legitimate agency purpose and whether you received the required notice and opportunity to respond. Severance pay for a qualifying involuntary separation is governed by 5 U.S.C. § 5595 and 5 C.F.R. Part 550, Subpart G, and is generally unavailable when an employee is separated by removal for cause — so how the agency labels your separation matters. Relocation allowances, including what a "lump-sum" payment must cover, are set under the Federal Travel Regulation, 41 C.F.R. Chapters 302. Because the June 30 deadline is firm and the choice affects appeal rights, severance, and out-of-pocket cost, employees facing these notices should consult a federal employment attorney before signing anything.

2. GAO: Pentagon Cut About 78,000 Civilian Jobs in 2025 With Little Analysis of the Impact

Source: Government Executive, June 2, 2026

TL;DR: A Government Accountability Office report (GAO-26-108100), released May 29, finds the Defense Department shed about 78,000 civilian employees in 2025 through voluntary resignations, involuntary layoffs, and a hiring freeze that produced nearly 60,000 fewer new hires than in recent years. Counting probationary terminations, deferred resignations, and early retirements, the gross reduction reached roughly 110,000 — about 14% of DoD civilians — though about 30,000 hires for exempted jobs left a net loss just over 10%. GAO found that DoD did not consistently analyze the effects of these reductions in 2025 or in prior years and has no plan to assess lessons learned, and that the department did not plan to study how the cuts affected productivity. Of 28 Defense components targeted for cuts under the administration's fiscal 2026 budget request, GAO found at least three — the Joint Staff, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency — did not provide a required explanation to Congress. Defense officials agreed they should collect and share lessons learned but gave no indication they would. A separate March 2026 Partnership for Public Service survey found DoD morale had dropped sharply.

For federal employees, this means:

•  If your position was cut, or you took a deferred resignation or early retirement, GAO's findings may be useful context if you later question how a reduction in force (RIF) was planned or carried out.
• Watch for agency RIF actions that skip required analysis or notifications — procedural shortcuts can be grounds to contest an action, separate from the merits of the downsizing itself.
• The report signals continued instability in DoD civilian staffing; if you remain, document your duties and any safety, workload, or mission concerns in writing.

Legal Insight:
GAO conducts this work under its audit authority at 31 U.S.C. § 712. RIFs are governed by 5 U.S.C. § 3502 and the implementing regulations at 5 C.F.R. Part 351, which set the order of retention, notice periods, and appeal rights — and an agency's failure to follow those procedures can itself be a basis for an MSPB appeal, independent of whether the underlying decision to downsize was sound. The finding that several components skipped a required explanation to Congress is a reminder that agencies remain bound by procedural and reporting obligations even during large-scale restructuring.

3. Watchdogs Under Pressure: Political Appointees Land Inside Labor and HUD Inspector General Offices

Source: Government Executive, June 1, 2026

TL;DR: A May 28 Partnership for Public Service report finds that 16 agencies and subagencies that had no non-Senate-confirmed political appointees between 2009 and 2024 had at least one as of March 2026, including the IRS, the Forest Service, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the National Archives. The report singles out the inspector general (IG) offices at the Departments of Labor and Housing and Urban Development, each of which now has a political appointee assigned outside the Senate-confirmed IG — something the Partnership says had not occurred at any IG office since at least 2009. The report's author, Chris Piper, wrote that a political appointee inside an IG office "introduces a structural conflict of interest into an institution whose effectiveness depends on independence." The Labor IG, former Republican congressman Anthony D'Esposito, has separately faced ethics questions over his conduct in the role. The report also notes first-time political appointees at the Federal Labor Relations Authority and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

For federal employees, this means:

• Inspectors general are a primary channel for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse — and disclosures to an IG are legally protected; know who runs your agency's IG office before you rely on it.
• If you make a protected disclosure, keep your own dated records of what you reported and to whom, in case the independence or handling of that office is later questioned.
• Concerns about one office's independence do not eliminate your options — the Office of Special Counsel and congressional channels remain available routes for whistleblower disclosures.

Legal Insight:
The independence of inspectors general is built into the Inspector General Act of 1978, now codified at 5 U.S.C. §§ 401–424, which Congress strengthened in 2022 by requiring the President to give Congress 30 days' advance written notice and a substantive rationale before removing an IG. A federal employee's disclosure to an IG is protected from reprisal under the Whistleblower Protection Act, 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8)(B), which shields disclosures to an inspector general of a violation of law, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, or an abuse of authority. If you are weighing a disclosure and are concerned about how it will be received, a federal employment attorney can help you route it in a way that preserves your protections.

Legal Tip of the Day

During an Internal Investigation

Being part of an investigation—whether as a subject or witness—can create stress and uncertainty. Statements made early can shape the entire outcome of the case. Avoid rushing to explain everything in the moment. Take time to understand the questions and respond carefully and truthfully. Keep personal notes about what is asked and how you responded.