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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.

Top Three News Stories:

1. National Archives begins first wave of layoffs despite ongoing government-wide RIF freeze

On June 16 the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) told employees it is issuing reductions-in-force that will cut about 3 percent of its workforce—roughly 100 positions—starting this week, with a second round of notices coming June 30. Leadership said buyouts and early-outs had already thinned staffing and the RIF would “reallocate resources” while preserving public-records access, but insiders warned that entire innovation and presidential-library units were “wiped out.” NARA is not covered by the nationwide injunction now pending at the Supreme Court, so it can legally proceed while most cabinet agencies remain frozen. GovExec

Legal Insight:

Employees who receive a RIF noticeshould request the retention register used to rank them and may appeal the action to the Merit Systems Protection Board within the later of 30 days after the effective date or receipt of the RIF decision (5 C.F.R. § 351.901). If you are involuntarily separated, check whether you qualify for severance pay, priority placement, and unemployment benefits. If you are interested in a $350 strategy session from our firm, learn more at fedlegalhelp.com/strategy.

2. President removes Democratic Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner, intensifying fight over independent-agency tenure

President Trump fired Christopher Hanson, a Biden-era Democratic appointee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, stating only that “unified leadership” was needed. Hanson said he was dismissed “without cause,” calling the move unprecedented for the NRC and a blow to its statutory independence. The White House cited recent Supreme Court decisions expanding presidential removal power over independent boards. The vacancy gives the administration a chance to accelerate its nuclear-expansion agenda. Politico

Legal Insight:

Although the Supreme Court has weakened for-cause removal protections in cases like Seila Law and Collins, NRC commissioners are still covered by 42 U.S.C. § 5841(f), which allows removal “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Hanson (or a public-interest group) could sue, arguing the statute remains valid until struck down; if successful, he could win back pay. For career staff at the NRC and other commissions, the episode signals that political turnover at the top can come suddenly—agency lawyers should review delegations of authority and continuity-of-operations plans to ensure legally required functions continue if a quorum is lost.

3. Inspector General finds $341 million in retention bonuses at VA lacked proper justification

A Veterans Affairs inspector-general audit concluded that the Veterans Health Administration could not document the basis for about 30 percent of recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives paid in FY 2022-23—an estimated $340.9 million covering 38,800 employees. Missing forms, absent signatures and bonuses that continued for years after eligibility ended were among the findings; one employee kept a $30,000 relocation payment without moving. VA says it is pursuing debt collection and revising oversight procedures. GovExec

Legal Insight:

Under 5 U.S.C. § 5755 and OPM regulations, retention incentives generally should be justified with written determinations of unusually high attrition risk; failure to keep that documentation could violate the Antideficiency Act if funds are spent without legal authority. HR officials should ensure future incentive packages meet the documentation standards; otherwise they risk personal liability for unlawful payments and union grievances alleging inequitable treatment of similarly situated staff, among other things.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Mindful Noise Management in Open Offices 

When the bullpen erupts—phones ringing, printers churning, a colleague recounting last night’s game—treat the clamor as a mindfulness bell, not an aggression trigger. Pause typing, feel the vibration of each sound on your eardrums, and silently label it “hearing … hearing.” This deliberate shift from aversion to observation recruits the insula, the brain’s sensory hub, and dampens the amygdala’s fight-or-flight surge within 90 seconds. You’ll return to the FOIA spreadsheet with pulse steadied and cognition intact, while coworkers wonder how you kept composure without noise-canceling headphones.