Report Documents Shift from CSRS to FERS in Workforce

Snippet of Article: "...The FERS system became the majority system within the federal workforce only about a decade after it was launched; by fiscal 1996, it accounted for 53 percent of current employees to 47 percent for CSRS. That share steadily grew as the generally older CSRS employees retired so that now only 6 percent of current employees are under CSRS, the report said. Of current retirees, 67 percent are under CSRS. Separate OPM data show that just about the same share, 69 percent, of those who retired in 2015 were covered by FERS,..."

Source: www.fedweek.com

Average Federal Retirement Age Continues to Increase

Snippet of Article: "...The data, as of fiscal 2016, further showed that for normal retirements, the average years of service was 37.0 for CSRS and 22.2 for FERS, with an average monthly annuity of $4,917 and $1,534, respectively..."

Source: www.fedweek.com

CSRS vs FERS, Average Years of Federal Service,

OPM to federal agencies: Tell job applicants where they stand

Snippet of Article: "...The Office of Personnel Management has told agencies "to be diligent in notifying applicants in a timely fashion" when they receive an application; when they finish assessing qualifications and decide whether to refer the person to the selecting official; and when they have chosen someone..."

Source: www.stripes.com

Federal employees accuse Betsy DeVos of union busting

Snippet of Article: "...The American Federation of Government Employees filed the complaint on Tuesday, after DeVos' Department of Education implemented a 40-page "collective bargaining agreement" that took effect on Monday — a document union membership says is anything but what its name implies. "You can't even call it a 'collective bargaining agreement' because it wasn't collective, it wasn't bargained, and there was no agreement," AFGE Assistant General Counsel Ward Morrow told The Intercept..."

Source: www.metrotimes.com

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), collective bargaining rights, Betsy DeVos, union busting,

Centers for Disease Control employee vanishes after feeling sick and leaving work early

Snippet of Article: "...left work sick on Feb. 12 and has not been heard from since, WSB reported. His parents said they later discovered his phone, wallet, car and keys as well as his dog at his Atlanta home. They told officers it was unusual for Cunningham to leave his pup alone and to be out of touch for so long..."

Source: www.nydailynews.com

2019 Budget provides no raise, targets retirement benefits for federal employees

Budget provides no raise, targets retirement benefits for federal employees

Snippet of Article: "...Eliminating cost-of-living adjustments on the civil service annuities of those retired under FERS while reducing the adjustment by a half-percentage point for those retired under the older Civil Service Retirement System. For those retiring in 2019 and later, annuities would be based on the highest five consecutive salary years rather than the current three, and those retiring under FERS below age 62 would no longer receive a supplement that is paid until that age when they can collect Social Security...."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Feds bust twin brothers from the Bronx for trying to build bombs

Snippet of Article: "...Christian Toro, a former teacher at Harlem Prep, and his brother, Tyler Toro, were arrested by the FBI on Thursday as part of a joint investigation with the NYPD. The two 27-year-olds had been forging explosive devices inside their Pelham Parkway apartment since last October..."

Source: nypost.com

2019 Federal Employee Pay Raise Update

2.6 percent raise for military, pay freeze for federal workers in 2019 Trump budget

Snippet of Article: "...The budget would also require federal workers to contribute 1 percent more towards their retirement and eliminates some supplements for retirees under the age of 62, along with other benefit and retirement reductions..."

Source: www.al.com

Special Retirement Supplement (SRS), 2019 Federal Employee Pay Raise, Destruction of Federal Employee Retirement,

White Powder Mailing: Wife of Donald Trump Jr. taken to hospital after opening envelope containing white powder

Wife of Donald Trump Jr. taken to hospital after opening envelope containing white powder

Snippet of Article: "...opened the letter just after 10 a.m. She and two other people were decontaminated by firefighters at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. They appear to be fine..."

Source: abc7ny.com

White Powder Mailing,

2-year budget deal would bring some good news to federal employees

Snippet of Article: "...After federal employees contributed more than $120 billion in lost pay and benefits over the last several years, NARFE members have been diligent in sounding the drumbeat that federal employees’ and retirees’ earned benefits are not a piggy bank,” Thissen added. “Congress heeded their call, and no cuts to federal pay and benefits are included in the budget deal..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

Opportunity of a Lifetime? Buy Low, Sell High

Trump Says ‘Big Mistake’ to Sell Off Stocks in Strong Economy

Snippet of Article: "...White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday defended the president’s decision to take credit for successes in the stock market, saying the nation’s economy was "infinitely better off today than where we were before the president took office." "Does the President have second thoughts about taking credit for a booming economy? Absolutely not," she said..."

Source: www.bloomberg.com

Chain Migration: This huge influx must stop, but the plan to repair it robs American's of high paying jobs instead of educating our own house first

Chain Migration by the Numbers

www.whitehouse.gov

Snippet of Article: "...The large influx of predominantly low-skilled migrants has had substantial fiscal and national security consequences. To understand the scale of the challenge that Chain Migration poses to those in charge of our nation’s checks and screening processes, it is worth providing some numerical context..."
Source: www.whitehouse.gov

Chain Migration, Chain Immigration,

Postal worker claims $4M prize from lottery scratcher

Snippet of Article: "...postal worker won $4 million in the Virginia Lottery’s Hot Millions Multiplier scratch-off game, according to a news release. Bill..."

Source: www.insidenova.com

Senate To Vote Monday On Ending Shutdown As Talks Continue

Snippet of Article: "...The Senate will vote at noon on Monday to end the government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor Sunday evening and laid out a plan to restore government funding for three weeks and consider immigration proposals..."

Source: www.npr.org

Shutdown 2018,

Now We've Shut Down The CDC and This Year's Flu Is Nasty And Getting Worse

This Year's Flu Is Nasty And Getting Worse. And Now We've Shut Down The CDC.

Snippet of Article: "...With the government shut down, a difficult situation becomes worse. Most of the CDC staff will be forced to sit on their hands when they could be working — many of them want to work, but they won't be allowed to. What's especially frustrating (and wasteful) is that the U.S. will almost certainly pay all federal employees for this forced time off, as it did in previous shutdowns. We also need a better way to make the flu vaccine..."

Source: www.forbes.com

Shutdown 2018, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

Can we predict what the 2019 federal pay raise will be?

Can we predict what next year’s federal pay raise will be?

Snippet of Article: "...The process by which federal raises are calculated comes from Title 5 of the U.S. Code, which says that every rate on the General Schedule should see a boost in base pay that equals half a percentage point less than the previous year’s Employment Cost Index (ECI), a figure calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So theoretically, the answer..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

Title 5 of the U.S. Code, 2019 Federal Employee Pay Raise,

President Trump Gets an 'Excellent Health' Report, to Include Cognitive, From White House Doctor

White House physician: Trump in 'excellent health'

Snippet of Article: "...The president’s physical exam today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center went exceptionally well," Dr. Ronny Jackson, the president's physician, said in a statement. Jackson added that "the president is in excellent health..."

Source: http://www.foxnews.com

President Trumps Cognitive Health, Trump in Excellent Health,

More Reading:

White House doctor: 'No concerns' about Trump's cognitive ability. www.cnn.com. Jan. 16, 2018.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment. www.mocatest.org. As observed on Jan. 16, 2018

House renews spying law that collects Americans' emails without warrants

Snippet of Article: "...The House voted Thursday to renew for six years a controversial surveillance program that may collect the content of Americans' email, text messages, photos and other electronic communication without a warrant. The vote was 256-164 to extend the program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act..."

Source: www.msn.com

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Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

New York Dem charged with stealing Sandy money from FEMA

Snippet of Article: "...Harris, 57, is accused of defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- the agency tasked with helping New York and New Jersey rebuild after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 -- of almost $25,000..."

Source: www.foxnews.com

FEMA

Former Postal Service vice president sentenced after inspectors uncovered lies

Former USPS vice president sentenced after inspectors uncovered lies

Snippet of Article: "...court records reveal, discovered Whitman’s resume and a security clearance form he filled out were riddled with lies within weeks of his March hiring. He was fired in June. Whitman didn’t have a degree from Southern Illinois, and he wasn’t the corporate genius that his resume proclaimed, investigators said in court papers. Shortly before he applied for the postal job, Whitman had been fired by another unidentified company for lying on his resume..."

Source: www.linns.com

Tax Bill: Ready for your tax increase middle-class? Tax Bill’s Estimated Effects In 2027

CHARTS: See How Much Of GOP Tax Cuts Will Go To The Middle Class

Snippet of Article: "...This would mean a tiny tax bump for many lower- and middle-class households — the average $50,000 to $75,000-earning household would have a tax bill that's $30 higher than today. The average household earning more than $1 million would get a cut of more than $23,000..."

Source: www.npr.org

Tax Bill’s Estimated Effects In 2027

The Federal Reserve is about to raise interest rates again — here's how it happens and why it matters

The Fed is about to raise interest rates again — here's how it happens and why it matters

Snippet of Article: "...what the Fed is doing right now is a bit unusual. "This is the first tightening cycle where they've been concerned about inflation being too low," said Alan Levenson, the chief economist at T. Rowe Price. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation last touched its 2% target in 2012, so it can't exactly argue that it is raising rates to fight inflation..."

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com

Federal Reserve

Spread the swamp? Trump administration wants to move government offices out of Washington

Snippet of Article: "...Dislodge arms of the federal government from Washington and reattach them in faraway places, spreading the wealth generated by these well-paid agency workforces and forcing senior bureaucrats to face the people they affect..."

Source: www.latimes.com

Political Magic: Disappearing Tiny Tax Cuts for the Middle Class, But Not for Corporate America or the Wealthy

Here's what's in the Senate Republican tax bill

Snippet of Article: "...benefits for middle- and low-income groups diminish or disappear afterward -- meaning the groups' after-tax incomes would drop on average -- due to their tax cuts expiring after 2025, the bill's use of slower inflation adjustments in the tax code..."

Source: cnn.com

Tax Rates, Tax Bill, Disappearing Tax Cuts,

First Lady Melania Trump Unveils Christmas at the White House 2017

Snippet of Article: “The President, Barron, and I are very excited for our first Christmas in the White House,” said First Lady Melania Trump. “As with many families across the country, holiday traditions are very important to us. I hope when visiting the People’s House this year, visitors will get a sense of being home for the holidays. On behalf of my husband and Barron, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and joyous holiday season.”

Source: The White House

Christmas 2017

Who is the Highest Paid ‘Federal Employee’ in America?

Snippet of Article: "...A recent article describes Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) CEO Bill Johnson as “the highest paid federal employee in the country.” Pay Raise Breaks the Million Dollar Mark..."

Source: www.fedsmith.com

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), CEO Bill Johnson,

Big Pharma in the House, Forget About Lower Drug and Medical Costs

Trump Picks Former Eli Lilly Drug Executive as Health Secretary

Snippet of Article: "...Trump has been highly critical of the industry that Azar comes from, saying that drug companies are “getting away with murder” and threatening to use the federal government’s buying power to bring down prices. However he’s taken no concrete action yet to do so..."

Source: www.bloomberg.com

Big Pharma, Medical Expenses, Destruction of Lower Middle-Class, Alex Azar,

The US's most secretive intelligence agency (NSA) was embarrassingly robbed and mocked by anonymous hackers

The US's most secretive intelligence agency was embarrassingly robbed and mocked by anonymous hackers

Snippet of Article: "... The group now posts cryptic, mocking messages pointed toward the NSA as it sells the cyberweapons, created at huge cost to US taxpayers, to any and all buyers, including US adversaries like North Korea and Russia. "It's a disaster on multiple levels," Jake Williams, a cybersecurity expert who formerly worked on the NSA's hacking group..."

Source: www.businessinsider.com

National Security Agency (NSA),

What color is your passport and how powerful is it?

Most Powerful Passport 2017

A passport is your open door to travel and business. Having the right passport opens doors that other passports cannot. Your U.S. passport isn’t as powerful as you think it is. However, Singapore now has 'most powerful passport in the world'. Passports come in a multitude of colors, as well as a multitude of restrictions as far as where you can travel. Where does your passport rank? Click here to see the Global Passport Power Rank.
Source: The Federal Newsgroup

Passports

2 percent federal retirement COLA set for January

Snippet of Article: "...Under FERS, an inflation adjustment isn’t paid until age 62, except for those who retired due to disability or from certain occupations that require earlier retirement. The average monthly civil service benefit under FERS is about $1,400, yielding an average increase, for those eligible, of $28. Those retired under FERS are eligible for Social Security benefits under standard rules and those receiving that benefit — which generally cannot begin earlier than age 62 — will see that payment boosted by 2 percent as well..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

CSRS vs FERS, 2018 Federal Retiree COLA, COLA,

Veterans Identification Card: Issued To Veterans Who Apply Starting In November

Actual, Physical Vet Cards Will Be Issued To Veterans Who Apply Starting In November

Snippet of Article: "...Veterans Identification Card will be available free of charge to any honorably discharged veteran who applies for one online via the ..."

Source: militaryvetnews.blogspot.com

Veterans Identification Card

Las Vegas shooting: The deadliest mass shooting in modern American history

Las Vegas shooting: At least 50 dead, more than 400 injured in massacre

Snippet of Article: "...suspect, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, a resident of Mesquite, Nevada. Police initially sought...The shooting at the sold-out Route 91 Harvest festival was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. ..."

Source: www.foxnews.com

Stephen Paddock, Vegas Mass Shooting 2017, Mass Shooting,

Tax plan just got its first brutal review showing how it would benefit rich Americans but almost no one else

Trump's tax plan just got its first brutal review showing how it would benefit rich Americans but almost no one else

Snippet of Article: "...found that Americans among the top 1% of earners would see the bulk of the plan's benefits, while lower- and middle-class Americans...in later years, the middle class would shoulder more of the load of the tax plan..."

Source: www.businessinsider.com

Why The Tax Reform Crew May Target Your Retirement

Snippet of Article: "...At a minimum, legislators should do no additional harm to the retirement system in their quest for tax cuts. But it would be far better if Washington focused its political capital solving a real problem: Ensuring retirement security for all Americans..."

Source: www.forbes.com

Tax Reform vs Working Class Retirement, Retirement,

2018 pay raise for federal employees

Trump sets 2018 pay raise for federal employees

Snippet of Article: "...a pay raise effective Jan. 1, 2018. Most civilian federal employees will receive an average raise of..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

Federal Employee Pay Raise 2018,

Trump Tax Plan: Rob the middle class while making corporations and the wealthy wealthier

Trump pitches tax reform to Main Street

Snippet of Article: "...Cutting the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 15% ...Middle class tax relief cutting the top tax rate from 39.6% to 35%... "

Source: www.usatoday.com

Trump Tax Plan,

More agencies investigated after Postal Service cited for workers' Clinton campaign aid

Republicans dig deeper after Postal Service cited for workers' Clinton campaign aid

Snippet of Article: "...wrongdoing at federal agencies in past election cycles, after learning the Postal Service violated the law by allowing employees to do union-funded work for Hillary Clinton’s campaign while on leave. The lawmakers blasted out letters on Monday to 10 other federal government agencies questioning their unpaid leave policy for union-related political work..."

Source: www.foxnews.com

Hatch Act, Crime, Hillary Clinton, USPS, union-related political work,

Should Federal Employees Invest in a Roth IRA?

Snippet of Article: "...there are some pros and cons to investing in a Roth IRA that are worth looking at. Thrift Savings Plan first, especially if you qualify for agency matching..."

Source: www.fedsmith.com

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), TSP Contributions, Roth IRA,

Postal worker, 3 others charged in $100K money order scheme

Snippet of Article: "...charged with stealing a money order imprinting machine and more than 180 blank USPS money orders, then defrauding the postal service by ..."

Source: www.nj.com

Crime, Postal Service, money order imprinting machine,

FBI, U.S. Postal Police launch investigation at Seattle home

Snippet of Article: "...Neighbors said a young couple and their two young children just moved in eight months ago. “They had cameras all over. They even had cameras at the mailbox,” said Neighbor Shelley Pealver. “They take pictures of who's coming into mailbox, who's not. I thought that was strange..."

Source: komonews.com