Federal Workforce drops by 14,000 – Plus the DorobekINSIDER’s 7 Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• After across-the-board gains in March and April, Thrift Savings Plan funds lost a little steam last month. Find out how much with the TSP’s Kim Weaver. Click here for the full recap.

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

1. The total federal workforce dropped by 14,000 employees in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that brings the government’s staffing levels to its lowest point in more than five years. Federal Times reports the May’s decline means federal payrolls — including U.S. Postal Service workers — have now dropped by 45,000 over the last three months. There are now 2,748,000 federal employees in the government — the lowest since February 2008, when there were 2,747,000 federal workers. The federal workforce has now fallen 20 percent since its peak in May 2010, when there were 3,415,000 employees.
2. New rules proposed last week by the Office of Personnel Management will allow federal employees to ease into retirement by working part time while receiving partial pensions — and could transform how managers handle generational shifts in their offices. Federal Times reports, the phased retirement rules, published last week in the Federal Register, will allow an employee who is eligible for retirement and meets other requirements to work half time at the end of his career, while receiving half of the pension he would have received had he fully retired at that time. While that phased retiree continues to work, he will continue to accrue additional service credit toward his final pension.
3. The Department of Homeland Security is putting the finishing touches on its new $435 million, 1.1 million-square-foot Coast Guard headquarters, in preparation for the move-in of 4,000 employees beginning Aug. 1st, reports Federal Times.
4. Washington has a new all-consuming debate after a Booz Allen Hamilton employee admitted to leaking massive national security information. Edward Snowden is a former undercover CIA employee. Federal News Radio reports he let two newspapers reveal he is the source of information about digital information surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency. James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, spent the weekend denouncing leaks made to The Washington Post and the Guardian. Booz Allen Hamilton promises to cooperate in the investigation of Snowden. He’s in Hong Kong, which has an extradition treaty with the United States.
5. An IRS manager in the tax exempt office says he and not the White House directed extra scrutiny of conservative groups. That’s according to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House oversight committee. Cummings declares the IRS controversy as case-solved. The committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), disagrees. He wants people to see the entire transcript of the five-hour, closed-door testimony the manager gave, reports Federal News Radio.
6. President Barack Obama nominated veteran White House economic official to chair the Council of Economic Advisers. Jason Furman would replace Alan Krueger, who is returning to Princeton University. The council is one of two main sources of economic advice to the president. The other is the National Economic Council. Furman currently serves as its principal deputy director, reports Federal News Radio.
7. And on GovLoop: Here is a staggering stat: 130 millions Americans own a smartphone, including roughly 1 out of 2 adults. That’s a technology that wasn’t even around 5 years ago. So how can government leverage this technology to connect, engage and empower government employees and the general public? Tune in to find out with the DorobekINISDER LIVE panel on June 26th at noon ET. Register for the free online webinar now.

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