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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. Government to Reopen After House Votes to End Longest-Ever Shutdown

The House approved a spending package to reopen agencies after a record 43-day lapse, with most departments funded via a short-term CR and several (e.g., VA, USDA, Legislative Branch) fully funded through September. The deal guarantees back pay for furloughed workers and for excepted employees who worked without pay and unwinds more than 4,000 shutdown-related RIF notices, while banning new RIFs through January. Agencies prepared same-day recall messages instructing furloughed staff to report Thursday as OMB executes the “prompt and orderly” reopening checklist. For federal employees, this means watch for official agency/OMB recall instructions and timekeeping codes, expect back pay processing, and confirm whether any RIF notice you received is rescinded. Government Executive

Legal Insight:

Read your recall email carefully and follow it exactly (duty station, telework, reporting time). Keep copies of all furlough/excepted notices and your time and attendance records for back-pay reconciliation. If you received a RIF notice, ask HR in writing to confirm rescission and request your retention data for your records. If directives conflict or deadlines seem unclear during reopening, contact your union and consider consulting counsel.

2. Shutdown-Ending Deal Stops Severance Freeze for Laid-Off Federal Employees

As part of the reopening package, the government will resume severance payments that agencies had paused during the lapse under Antideficiency Act constraints. HHS emails show former employees seeing “temporary debt” entries on LES due to the freeze, with DFAS instructed not to collect and payments to resume once funding returns. The bill also reverses shutdown-era RIF notices and bars agencies from carrying out new RIFs through Jan. 30, 2026. For federal employees, this means if you separated and your severance was frozen, you should see payments restart; keep LES screenshots and written communications until the account is corrected. Federal News Network

Legal Insight:

Save your LES, emails, and any “temporary debt” notices; ask payroll/HR in writing to confirm reversal and the timeline for back severance. If a collection action is threatened despite written guidance, respond promptly in writing and escalate. For anyone who received a shutdown RIF notice, request written confirmation of rescission and keep your retention data. Consider speaking with counsel if debts are actually collected or if separation/RIF issues remain disputed.

3. Nearly 20 Democratic States Inadvertently Share Driver Data with ICE, Lawmakers Say

A coalition of 40 lawmakers warned governors that the Nlets information-sharing network allows ICE/HSI to query their residents’ DMV data, including license photos, unless states restrict access. Letters cite Nlets metrics showing hundreds of thousands of immigration-related queries in the year before Oct. 1, 2025, and urge states to tighten controls while noting several (e.g., IL, MA, MN, NY) have already limited access. The issue underscores growing intergovernmental data flows and privacy obligations for federal users. For federal employees, this means DHS, DOJ, and privacy/compliance staff should expect oversight questions and must handle any PII access strictly within policy and the Privacy Act. Nextgov

Legal Insight:  

If your duties involve querying external data (e.g., through Nlets), follow written minimization, access-approval, and logging rules; don’t use personal devices or accounts. Confirm that your system of records and agreements (MOUs/ISAAs) cover the data you access and keep training up to date. If you see potential over-collection or misuse, report it through official channels and preserve records; consult counsel where obligations are unclear.

Mindful Moment of the Day: 

The “Silent Salute” Practice  

Before responding to a challenging coworker or client, pause and silently say: “Just like me, they want to be respected and heard.” This short phrase diffuses defensiveness and activates empathy, helping you respond with maturity and calm rather than stress or frustration.