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Our online community now tops 150,000 federal workers and supporters across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Each briefing distills the day’s most consequential developments, adds clear-eyed legal analysis, and pairs it with mindfulness tools that keep you steady no matter how turbulent the news cycle becomes. If this newsletter helps you stay informed, please pass it on: https://fedlegalhelp.com/newsletter. Your advocacy broadens the protective circle for every federal employee.

BETA Available (Discounted Pre-launch): Interested in our course to challenge your RIF on your own before the MSPB?

Southworth PC is opening a beta of our RIF MSPB Course—40+ written modules, checklists, and templates that walk you through every stage of a Merit Systems Protection Board RIF appeal, with focus‑videos and fresh insights dropping into the course over the next week (and for life). It is beta, so the first version is not quite done (expect all videos and first version resources by August 4). But some people are facing deadlines now and need it, so we are releasing what we have now.

Until next Monday, you can lock in lifetime access for $149—$50 below public launch of $199 starting next Moday, $250 below final price—regularly priced at $399 starting September 4, all backed by a no‑questions 7‑day refund. You get lifetime updates. Filing deadlines move fast; missing one can end your appeal. If you are interested, click now to secure your seat before the price jumps on August 4: http://fedlegalhelp.com/mspbcourse—and to see the resources we have assembled.

Top Three News Stories:

1. OPM Issues First Detailed Guidance on Schedule G Hiring

In a five-page memo released late on July 29, OPM Director Scott Kupor told agencies that every Schedule G appointment must be routed through the agency’s White House liaison and approved by OPM’s Political Appointee Review Team, mirroring the process for Schedule C hires. The guidance stresses that conversions of career jobs to Schedule G require prior OPM sign-off and 15-day congressional notice, and that agencies must keep position descriptions on file “for IG inspection.” OPM also reminded managers that Schedule G staff may not oversee merit-system employees unless another political appointee is in the supervisory chain. Federal News Network

Legal Insight: 

Unlike Schedules C or F, Schedule G employees do not gain status or preference after three years; they remain at-will throughout the appointing administration. Career staff asked to convert should receive a written PD and SF-50—acceptance waives most MSPB appeal routes except for discrimination or whistle-blower claims. Unions may bargain over how conversions affect bargaining-unit status, and IGs are explicitly empowered to audit compliance. Agencies that ignore the OPM review step risk an illegal appointment finding, which can void pay and decisions made by the appointee.

2. Consumer Watchdog’s Staff Cuts Put $360 Million in Restitution at Risk

A joint analysis by the Consumer Federation of America and the Student Borrower Protection Center, reported by Reuters on July 29, found that more than $360 million in pending or secured CFPB settlements are now stalled or reversed after the bureau’s 90 percent staffing reduction. Cases against Navy Federal Credit Union, Toyota’s finance arm, and Cash App’s parent company remain unresolved; advocates warn consumers could face up to $18 billion in higher costs if enforcement continues to lag. The Trump administration says the bureau is “right-sizing” and focusing on “regulation by enforcement.” Reuters

Legal Insight:

CFPB furlough notices do not trigger the RIF rules that protect competitive-service employees, because the bureau’s enabling statute places most staff in the Excepted Service. However, any final separation generally still requires 30-day written notice and priority consideration for other positions in the same excepted sub-part.

3. Early Shutdown Talk Signals Bumpy Budget Season Ahead

Congressional leaders began trading blame on July 29—two months before the fiscal-year deadline—over who would be responsible if agencies run out of funding on October 1. House conservatives say they will oppose any continuing resolution that doesn’t include additional workforce cuts, while Senate appropriators argue a short-term CR is unavoidable because none of the 12 regular bills will clear both chambers in time. The White House has told agencies to dust off contingency plans; OMB reminded CFOs that new obligations after September 30 would violate the Antideficiency Act without enacted appropriations. Market analysts warn that a repeat of the 2013 and 2018 shutdowns could delay billions in contract awards and idle thousands of grant-funded research projects. Federal unions have already begun virtual town halls to explain furlough rights and unemployment options if a lapse occurs. AP News

Legal Insight:

In a lapse, “excepted” employees must work without pay, while “non-excepted” employees are furloughed; both groups historically receive retroactive pay once Congress passes a funding bill, but that relief is not automatic until legislation is signed. Unemployment benefits are available in many states after a one-week waiting period, but any retroactive salary must be repaid to the state, generally.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Body-Scan Before Brief Writing    

Tight shoulders and shallow breaths siphon oxygen from the very frontal lobes you need to craft a watertight MSPB brief. Before typing a word, close your eyes, feel the soles on the floor, and trace a slow scan upward—ankles, knees, hips, spine, jaw—softening each checkpoint on a five-count exhale. Somatic quieting steadies heart-rate variability, opening an alpha-wave window associated with sharper reasoning and cleaner prose. Ninety seconds of scanning saves thirty minutes of post-draft editing, and opposing counsel will wonder where the brain fog went.