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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. OPM’s “Schedule Policy/Career” Rule Nears Next Stage after Comment Surge

The public-comment window on OPM’s April 23 proposal to re-classify as many as 50,000 policy-influencing positions into a new “Schedule Policy/Career” category closed on May 23.  The rule would let the White House remove those civil servants with far fewer procedural protections, reviving—under a new name—the 2020 “Schedule F” system.  Unions and bipartisan members of Congress submitted thousands of objections, arguing the change would politicize the career service, while supporters say it is needed to ensure accountability.  OPM must now review the comments and decide whether to issue a final rule, revise it, or withdraw the proposal. Ballotpedia

Legal Insight:

Reclassifying competitive-service jobs into Schedule Policy/Career relies on the Civil Service Reform Act clause that exempts “confidential or policy-determin­ing” positions; challengers will argue the draft rule stretches that language beyond congressional intent.  Because terminations could occur without the usual 30-day notice and MSPB review, employees are likely to file pre-enforcement suits alleging due-process and First-Amendment retaliation violations. Feds in affected series should preserve duty statements and performance records now in case they must prove their work is not “policy-advocating.”

2. NIOSH Layoffs Draw Lawsuit over Worker-Safety Risks

An April-noticed RIF at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health cut 85 percent of the agency’s 1,100-person staff, leaving only 328 later reinstated. Former and current employees warn the downsizing has stalled respirator approvals, mine-safety training and long-term hazard studies, heightening nationwide workplace risks.  Labor groups including the AFL-CIO filed suit this month to restore the programs, calling the cuts politic­ally motivated and contrary to congressional mandates. The Guardian

Legal Insight:  

Plaintiffs will rely on the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s duty to “assure so far as possible” safe working conditions; a court could order HHS to restore staffing if the layoffs make statutory compliance impossible.  The case mirrors Judge Illston’s reasoning that wholesale workforce reductions undertaken without Congress can violate separation-of-powers, bolstering arguments for an injunction.  For NIOSH employees, timely OSC disclosures about lost safety capacity could preserve whistleblower protections and strengthen any future MSPB claims of retaliatory RIFs.  

3. DoD Scraps “What Did You Do?” Emails, Launches Mandatory Waste-Hunt Survey  

After three months of weekly self-reporting emails, the Defense Department now is requiring every civilian employee to submit one idea for eliminating waste, rating its impact on a 1-to-7 scale.  Acting personnel chief Jules Hurst says responses are due Wednesday and are mandatory even for staff just returning from leave.  The prior five-accomplishment emails raised privacy concerns; critics fear the new survey could also expose sensitive operational data. Federal News Network

Legal Insight:

Mandatory disclosure of perceived waste could in some cases be protected whistleblower activity—any adverse action tied to an employee’s candid response could violate the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. Employees should answer factually as necessary, omit classified details, and keep a copy of their submission in case of future disputes.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

Sensory Corridor Walk

Between conference rooms—or simply between desk and coffee machine—choose one sense to foreground. If it’s hearing, notice layers: the hum of HVAC, distant printers, your own footsteps. By allowing attention to stay tethered to raw sensory data, you train the mind to drop speculative story-lines (“Will IT ever fix that ticket?”). Heart-rate-variability studies link these 30-second sensory immersions to quicker recovery from adrenaline spikes, giving you a physiological cushion when the next sudden deadline lands.