Brought to you by Southworth PC—Attorneys for Federal Employees

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. Agency Chiefs Tell Congress That Deep Staffing Cuts Will “Improve” Services 

During back-to-back House Appropriations hearings, political appointees from EPA, Interior and other departments defended ongoing RIFs and incentivized departures, insisting that slimming payrolls will streamline operations and free resources for frontline work.  EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said his reorganization would roll staffing back to “Reagan-era levels,” while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum described 7,600 voluntary exits as “right-sizing.”  Lawmakers in both parties questioned how agencies could meet statutory obligations while vacancies mount, citing backlogs in pesticide approvals and land-management programs. Government Executive

Legal Insight:

The testimony signals agencies will continue using RIFs, deferred-resignation offers and reassignments rather than mainly using formal adverse actions, putting affected employees on the 60-day (or sometimes 30-day) RIF clock with limited appeal rights.  Affected employees should request retention registers and verify competitive-area definitions early; errors can be grieved or raised at MSPB.  Congress’s scrutiny also matters: if funding riders limit RIF authority or mandate minimum staffing levels, separation notices issued beforehand could be rescinded. It is unlikely, it appears, congress would help. Keep all paperwork—and track any reassignment offers—because mitigation packages or priority placement under ICTAP can hinge on accepting or refusing such offers within tight deadlines.

2. Judge Blocks Administration’s Bid to Loosen Project-Labor Agreement Mandate 

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras issued a preliminary injunction halting Defense and GSA memoranda that granted blanket exemptions from a 2024 rule requiring project-labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction contracts over $35 million.  The court found the memos “flatly contradict” the Biden-era executive order by allowing class deviations instead of case-by-case determinations, and held that unions challenging the policy had standing because aborted PLA talks caused concrete harm. Government Executive

Legal Insight:

For contracting officers, the ruling re-asserts that any PLA waiver must be justified individually under the FAR and the EO; blanket carve-outs are vulnerable under the Administrative Procedure Act.  Contractors bidding on large projects should assume PLA terms remain compulsory unless a documented exception is posted with the solicitation.  Federal employees involved in acquisition should document all waiver analyses, because the injunction foreshadows possible bid protests and False Claims Act suits if PLA clauses are omitted without a valid, project-specific rationale.  The decision also reminds unions that APA litigation can be a potent tool when executive agencies attempt to sidestep labor-friendly rules.

3.  TSA Acting Administrator Tells Congress That Privatization is “On the Table”

At a House Homeland Security appropriations hearing, Acting TSA Administrator Ha McNeill said expanding the Screening Partnership Program—or even broader privatization of airport screening—could be considered if it improves security and efficiency.  She noted current participation by 22 airports and argued that “airport choice” should drive any shift, though lawmakers voiced worries about workforce morale and union rights following the recent termination of TSA’s AFGE contract.  The administration’s FY 2026 budget also proposes a $247 million TSA cut that would eliminate exit-lane staffing and trim the screening workforce by roughly 2 percent. Reuters

Legal Insight:

Privatization would move TSOs at participating airports out of Title 5 into private-sector employment, eliminating MSPB and EEOC avenues while shifting disputes to contract law and state forums—an existential change for collective-bargaining protections.  Abolishing exit-lane staffing implicates the Aviation Security Act and may require a TSA rulemaking with notice-and-comment; unions can contest unilateral changes as a negotiability dispute at FLRA.  Employees should track any privatization feasibility studies: under 49 U.S.C. § 44920(c), TSA must certify that private contractors will not reduce security or cost efficiency, a process open to stakeholder comment.  Wage-grade issues also arise; Congress could attach rider language blocking conversion if locality pay or FEHB eligibility would be lost, so real-time legislative monitoring is essential.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Boundary-Closing Gesture 

At day’s end, stand, extend both arms outward, and sweep them inward toward your heart as if closing invisible elevator doors. While drawing the arms in, silently state the day’s final timestamp (“Work completed at 17:30; restoration begins”). Somatic therapists note that this simple kinesthetic boundary signals the brain that the operational tempo has formally ended, allowing stress hormones to taper rather than linger in a low-grade loop. The practice leaves many federal employees feeling truly off-duty for the first time in years, turning evenings into genuine recovery instead of shadow extensions of the workday.