Nominations Update: Over 400 Positions Filled, Several Hundred to Go
President Biden has to fill roughly 4,000 politically appointed positions in the executive branch and independent agencies. Of these, roughly 1,200 require Senate confirmation.
DOJ, EEOC Launch Initiative to Combat AI Discrimination During Hiring Process
This week, the Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) launched a new joint initiative to combat the disability discrimination in federal hiring.
Bipartisan Senate Coalition Pushes for Federal Benefits to Address PTSD
Senators have introduced legislation to assist families of fallen first responders in qualifying for benefits if an officer committed suicide after suffering a work-related injury.
Federal Prosecutors Seek Equitable Pay and Working Conditions to DOJ Counterparts
Pay disparities and inconsistent workplace flexibility benefits for Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) are being called into question.
IRS Investigators Recover Over $3.6 Billion in Cryptocurrency
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) confiscated more than $3.6 billion worth of cryptocurrency associated with the 2016 hack of Bitfinex, an online digital currency exchange.
Groups Urge White House to Extend Vaccine Mandate Deadline for Federal Employees
Several federal workforce organizations have recently advocated for extending the federal employee vaccine mandate deadline align with the federal contractor deadline. The federal contractor deadline was recently extended in January 2022.
In other vaccine mandated related news, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced at least one agency has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the management regarding vaccine mandate implementation.
Union Levies Legal Challenge to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Task Force Updates Guidance
On October 30, 2021, a federal employee union filed a lawsuit challenging President Biden's vaccine mandate for federal employees in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The case aims to invalidate the Executive Order and subsequent guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Proposed Appropriations Bill Revitalizes Plan for New FBI Headquarters
On October 19, 2021, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-MD), chairman of the Senate Appropriations, released proposed legislation for the remaining nine Senate appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The bill making appropriations for the Departments related to Commerce, Justice, and Science allocates $632 million for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) new headquarters (HQ).
Senator Calls for DOJ Inquiry on ATF Whistleblower Retaliation Claims, Misclassifying Jobs
On October 6, 2021, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) inquired with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) misclassification of nearly 100 administrative positions and subsequent retaliation of the exposing whistleblower.
Chief Data Officers’ Council Seek Public Comments on Data Proficiency Efforts to Close Federal Skills Gap
The Federal Chief Data Officers (CDO)’s CDO Council released a Request for Information (RFI) on the Federal Register requesting public commentary on agency data storage procedures that supports intergovernmental collaboration while maintaining confidentiality.
New IG Memo Finds HR Deficiencies at DOJ
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a management advisory memorandum to leaders at the Justice Management Division (JMD) identifying a number of concerns with human resources policies and data. The memo notes several continued deficiencies initially identified in DOJ OIG’s October 2020 report on enhancing human capital titled “Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Justice 2020.”
Employee Group Calls for Ban on Using Salary History in Hiring Process
The DOJ Gender Equality Network (DOJ GEN) recently called on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to stop permitting hiring managers to ask for an applicant’s salary history when hiring. Last year, six Department of Justice (DOJ) employee associations wrote a letter to DOJ component leaders calling for an end to this practice, but the Justice Management Division responded, saying that the practice was justified under federal hiring regulations.
U.S. and World Powers Condemn China for Malicious Cyber Activities
The United States, along with world powers like the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), condemned China for its numerous cyberattacks, specifically the attack that compromised Microsoft Exchange servers earlier this year.
DOJ Issues Memo on Gaps in Whistleblower Protections for Contractors
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) sent a management advisory memorandum to remind personnel about whistleblower rights and protections for contractors. Michael Horowitz, DOJ’s Inspector General, sent the memo to Michael Allen, who is the Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Senior Procurement Executive in the Justice Management Division.
Religious Freedom Restoration Act Exposes Officials to Personal Liability, Supreme Court Rules
Government officials may be sued in their personal capacity for alleged violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA), the Supreme Court held in the case of Tanzin v. Tanvir, issued at the end of last year. While Tanzin occurred in a law enforcement context, some legal commentators believe the Court’s decision may have a “chilling effect” on officials who enforce nondiscrimination laws.