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Top Three News Stories:

1. Senate Parliamentarian Nixes Most Anti-Civil-Service Riders in GOP Budget Bill

The Senate parliamentarian ruled that several provisions in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” reconciliation package—such as forcing new hires to choose between at-will status or higher FERS contributions, imposing a $350 MSPB filing fee, and charging unions rent for official-time space—violate the Byrd Rule and therefore need 60 votes to advance. Riders that survived include a 10 % surcharge on certain payroll deductions and a dependent-eligibility audit for FEHB. Senators rarely override parliamentarian advice, so the objectionable provisions are effectively stalled unless re-introduced outside reconciliation. Union leaders hailed the opinion as a “major brake” on efforts to erode job protections. Government Executive

Legal Insight: 

Because the ruling applies only to reconciliation, similar language could resurface in a stand-alone bill; agencies and employee groups should keep watch for floor amendments and conference-committee maneuvering. Until Congress actually changes Title 5, current FERS rates and adverse-action procedures under 5 U.S.C. § 7513 remain intact.

2. Lawmakers Push Back on Plan to Shift Career-Education Programs to Labor Department

Four senior Democratic senators criticized the Trump administration’s proposal to move key career-and-technical-education functions from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor. They argued that wholesale agency shuffling exceeds presidential authority absent explicit congressional approval and could disrupt grant pipelines that serve students and workers nationwide. The senators demanded that the administration halt the reorganization pending legislation. Federal News Network

Legal Insight:

Under the law, large-scale transfers of statutory programs require an affirmative act of Congress; merely issuing an executive order cannot repeal or re-write underlying authorizing laws. Employees assigned to Education programs at risk of transfer should preserve all position-description records and continue following existing chains of command until any reorganization receives legal sanction. If the administration attempts to detail or RIF staff without statutory authority, practitioners can expect challenges at the MSPB and in U.S. district court for violations of the Civil Service Reform Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, which is already occurring.

3. Supreme Court’s Emergency Docket Could Decide Fate of Mass Federal Layoffs

An Associated Press analysis published June 23, 2025 highlights several high-stakes Trump-administration appeals awaiting action on the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket.” Among them is a case stemming from a Boston judge’s order reinstating nearly 1,400 Education Department employees and blocking plans to dismantle the agency; another challenges a California injunction halting broad federal workforce cuts tied to the Department of Government Efficiency. The administration contends the lower-court rulings usurp executive discretion, while challengers argue Congress must authorize such sweeping reductions. The Court could lift or leave the injunctions “at any time,” making workforce stability uncertain. AP News

Legal Insight:

Until the Supreme Court acts, agencies subject to the injunctions must stop RIF preparations. Should the justices stay the lower-court orders, agencies would regain authority to issue separation notices but may would argue they would still have to provide 60-day RIF notices, OPM approval, and potential priority placement under 5 C.F.R. Part 351. Employees reinstated under court order should retain all documentation of status changes to protect back-pay rights. Practitioners should monitor the docket daily, because emergency orders issue without argument and may not include lengthy reasoning. 

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Crisis-Hotline Centering  

If your desk phone rings off the hook with angry beneficiaries or whistle-blower reports, ground first: press both feet into the floor, exhale audibly, and silently note the physical point where your back meets the chair. Keep a sliver of attention on that anchor while the caller vents; research on “dual awareness” from VA suicide-prevention teams shows it cuts secondary-trauma scores by nearly a third. The technique creates an internal buffer, letting empathy flow without letting stress hijack your limbic system. You finish the call clear-headed enough to document facts accurately and move to the next case without emotional carryover.