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Last call: Today—Monday, Aug. 4—at 11:59 p.m. ET is your final chance to lock in the beta price of $149 for our new MSPB Self-Representation Course before it jumps to $199 tomorrow (and to the regular $399 on Sept. 4). If you’re weighing an MSPB appeal after a RIF, secure lifetime access now at FedLegalHelp.com/MSPBcourse and save.

Top Three News Stories:

1. IRS Rescinds Layoffs at Civil Rights & EEO Office

Acting Commissioner Kimberly Walsh notified staff that the 135 reduction-in-force notices issued to the agency’s Civil Rights and EEO office have been cancelled after buyouts and attrition met head-count targets. The office, once slated to lose nearly 80 percent of its employees, will return to normal operations, and management pledged no new RIF actions for at least a year. The National Treasury Employees Union welcomed the reversal but said it will keep pursuing its grievance over employees who had already signed separation agreements. The EEOC is still reviewing whether the original layoff plan would have impeded discrimination-complaint processing. Federal News Network

Legal Insight: 

When a RIF notice is withdrawn, it is treated as void: awards and within-grade increases that were frozen must be reinstated, and service credit runs without interruption. Any future RIF must restart the full Part 351 process, including new 60-day notices and an updated retention register. Employees who relocated or incurred costs because they expected separation can seek reimbursement under agency hardship provisions. Unions are entitled to the data behind the cancellation decision and may bargain over new workload distributions under 5 U.S.C. § 7114(b)(4).

2. At Least 148,000 Federal Employees Have Exited Since January, Report Finds

A Partnership for Public Service tracker shows roughly 148,000 civil servants—about seven percent of the pre-2025 workforce—have left government through layoffs, buyouts, or the deferred-resignation program. Treasury, Agriculture and Defense account for the largest losses, with some sub-agencies down more than 25 percent. Partnership CEO Max Stier warned that opaque data make it hard for Congress and the public to assess mission risk, calling the exodus “a pitch-black battlefield.” OPM’s July FedScope update was praised for improving transparency, but analysts say monthly departures continue to outpace hires. Government Executive

Legal Insight:  

Deferred-resignation participants remain on the rolls—and paid—until September 30, so agencies must budget both salary and lump-sum leave payments this fiscal year. VSIP recipients who later seek re-employment generally must repay the incentive and may face a five-year bar under 5 U.S.C. § 5597. Offices that have lost 20 percent or more of staff can request hiring-freeze waivers or direct-hire authority from OPM by documenting mission-critical skill gaps. Employees taking on extra duties should record hours: sustained overtime without compensation can support future Fair Labor Standards Act claims if budgets rebound.

3. Senate Unanimously Confirms Cheryl Mason as VA Inspector General

The Senate filled a seven-month vacancy by approving Cheryl Mason, former chair of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, as permanent inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mason inherits a watchdog office coping with a record 3,800-case backlog following staff cuts and the prior IG’s January firing. In confirmation testimony she vowed to accelerate investigations into care delays, procurement fraud and alleged retaliation against veteran-whistle-blowers. Veterans’ groups applauded the appointment, calling it essential to restoring trust in VA oversight. Federal News Network

Legal Insight:

A sworn-in IG may issue subpoenas and recommend immediate disciplinary action under the Inspector General Act, so VA components should ensure audit trails and corrective-action logs are current. Employees interviewed by the IG have the right to union or legal representation when they reasonably fear discipline. Whistle-blowers whose disclosures lead to substantiated findings may request OSC intervention and seek make-whole remedies if they suffered reprisal. Program managers should proactively brief Mason’s team on pending high-risk areas; early cooperation can mitigate the severity of future findings.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Values-Aligned Goal Setting   

On Monday mornings, list your three priority tasks—then beside each, write the underlying value it serves: transparency, fiscal stewardship, veterans’ care, public safety. Behavioral-economics data from a DHS pilot showed that employees who link duties to personal or agency values logged 37 % more focused work blocks and reported higher morale on FEVS surveys. The brain’s motivation circuitry fires longer when it can see the “why” behind the “what,” turning that half-finished CFR analysis from a checkbox into a mission-aligned act of service. Try it for a month; watch procrastination melt and purpose compound like TSP interest.