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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. U.S. Senate Confirms Susan Monarez as CDC Director

In a 51-47 party-line vote on July 30, the Senate installed Susan Monarez—formerly acting director—as the first CDC chief ever subject to confirmation under the revised Public Health Service Act. Monarez inherits a diminished agency: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has already cut 2,400 positions, replaced the vaccine advisory panel with his own appointees and halted routine COVID immunizations for pregnant women and healthy kids. During her hearing, Monarez distanced herself from Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric, promised to prioritize measles-outbreak containment and pledged transparency on bird-flu preparedness. Reuters

Legal Insight: 

Because the CDC director is now a PAS (Presidentially Appointed, Senate-confirmed) role, future removals trigger the Vacancies Reform Act clock; career deputies can serve only 210 days without a new nomination. Career employees who filed whistle-blower disclosures during the vacancy retain OSC coverage even after leadership changes, and any pending EEO cases continue under existing delegations of authority.

2. USDA Tells Congress Most Employees Will Relocate—RIFs “a Last Resort”

Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden said USDA expects “well over a majority” of the 2,600 Washington-based staff slated for transfer to accept posts at five new regional hubs, making large-scale layoffs unlikely. Senators from both parties questioned the optimism, citing the 2019 Kansas City move that cost two agencies more than half their scientists. Vaden acknowledged early-out incentives are on the table and that he must sign off on any future RIF. Government Executive

Legal Insight:  

Employees who agree to a directed relocation receive reimbursable moving expenses and may negotiate reporting-date flexibilities; declinations fall under adverse-action rules, not RIF. Unions can demand bargaining over travel-advance timing, telework during transition and the criteria for approving hardship exemptions.

3. OSC Honors Mine-Safety Whistle-Blowers Who Exposed Seven-Year Inspection Lapse

The Office of Special Counsel awarded two Mine Safety and Health Administration officials for revealing that 51 mines in Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands had gone uninspected since 2016. Their disclosure prompted an IG alert and 11 corrective recommendations, including an accelerated inspection schedule and data-integrity fixes. OSC noted the case as proof that existing whistle-blower channels remain effective even as the Senate weighs a controversial nominee to lead the agency. Government Executive

Legal Insight:

Whistle-blowers receive statutory protection from retaliation under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8). If OSC validates a disclosure, the employee may request make-whole relief—reinstatement, back pay, attorney fees—should reprisal occur.. Agencies must update inspection data promptly; failing to do so after an OSC referral can invite GAO scrutiny and potential appropriations riders restricting funds.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

“Three-Breath Transition” Between Teams Calls     

Back-to-back virtual meetings leave attention residue that blurs issues and drains credibility. The antidote is fifteen seconds: mute, close your eyes, inhale to the silent word “arrive,” exhale to “engage,” and repeat for three full breaths. NIH imaging studies show this micro-reset reactivates the anterior cingulate cortex—the brain’s task-switching hub—restoring up to forty percent of lost focus. When the next meeting starts, statutes surface faster, questions land cleaner, and colleagues feel the difference even through a headset.