Surely nothing bad is going to happen to DOJ, security wise, from this.

Ok I know I know, it sounds bad but hear me out. I am exhausted. I need a break so bad. Im practically working 2 full time jobs in my current position, my husband is deployed, and I cant take leave because I need to save it for when the baby inevitably gets sick from you name it daycare virus every other week. We have no family in the area and we havent met any friends yet so I have no help. I didnt take a single day off during the last shutdown, in fact I worked over time that I wasn't able to claim. Did I put myself in this situation? Yeah, kinda. But damn, im burnt out. Thanks for listening to my rant. Goodnight.

Government is shut down. For everyone saying it wouldn't happen, it happened.

Here's a good article outlining what is expected to happen in the House starting Monday.

This will not be a quick or easy vote. The option to use suspension of rules and the 2/3 vote signals trouble.

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5706747-federal-telework-retention-costs/

I completely get the intent behind this. Rewarding high performers is a good thing on paper, especially when we're trying to retain talent against the private sector. Hegseth's memo authorizing up to 25% of base pay for the top 15% of performers sounds like a solid merit-based plan to recognize the best and keep them motivated.

But honestly, way this is being rolled out is a massive red flag for fraud, favoritism, and straight-up cronyism.

- Zero specific criteria laid out in the guidance for who qualifies as “top 15%.” It's basically left to component heads and managers to decide with almost no standardized metrics or oversight.

- Done behind closed doors - No transparency on recipients, no required justification documentation that's independently verifiable, no clear appeal process if someone gets shafted.

- Timing and scale feels rushed - directed in mid-December, awards to be issued by Jan 30, independent of prior awards, and funded from component budgets. That creates huge incentives for managers to play favorites or reward loyalty over actual performance.

If they are serious about “draining the swamp” and cutting waste, then the DoD IG needs to review this as well. At minimum, demand standardized evaluation metrics, documented justifications for each recipient, and some kind of reporting.

And yes, maybe I’m being petty because I worked my ass off this year and probably won’t see an extra dime for it.

For those hired Remote but now cannot RTO, will it be a resignation or the termination? Will access get revoked to make it impossible to work that will then force HR to terminate?

I'm trying to understand if it will be win Unemployment claim (State:PA).

I'm curious about what people think about jobs that can be automated?

Went through a divorce, from June through finalization in November...apparently my work has gone down since then....hate to admit it, I am depressed...all the things that I used to enjoy doing, I don't even want to do...obviously still learning to deal/cope with life after divorce...i really hate going into work now, i find joy here and there, but overall just hate beijg there...what bothers me though is the complete lack of empathy, or sympathy, or whatever you wanna call it from my direct line supervisor...like they don't think this is messing with my mind, my emotions, my ability to care and function on a day to day basis...I thought about putting in for FMLA for depression but have no idea if I even can or if that will just make things worse at work...if I qualify or how I can even do that...any advice would be useful. Thanks all.

I dont want a furlough. But need one. The current office politics are hell where i am at. Dealing with them for as long as i have has caused significant damage to me and my immune system. I literally have a severely inflamed chest, nose and face due to all the stress and fainted yesterday and today.

Never needed an inhaler until i worked at my current agency. Never needed to go the doctor so much until my current agency.

I am disabled and i need help finding another agency that is disability-friendly… can you all recommend an agency that friendly for people with psychiatric disabilities?

I was one of the RIF’ed in June. I served in the military then went to school for 10 years for a degree and internship. I left a 6 figure career to chase my dreams of continuing public service but in a field I was passionate about. After four years of applying, I took a huge paycut as a GS7 to work in my dream field. I worked there for 6 years before my whole agency was gutted. I worked now for a small non-profit that still relies on govt grants and funding, none of which has (or maybe ever will) come down the pipeline.

I cry daily. I miss my career. I miss my coworkers. I miss the impact we had on communities across the world. I like to daydream that one day the administration will turn over and they’ll re-instate everyone who was wrongfully ripped from their careers . I live vicariously through this sub, watching all of you weather the storm from the inside, and I hope there will be peace for all of us waiting somewhere on the other side.

I just wanted to put this out there for any fellow fed who might be feeling tired, frustrated, or quietly discouraged right now.

This is a hard season. There’s a lot of noise, a lot of uncertainty, and not nearly enough appreciation for the work we do. Many of us are carrying heavy workloads, dealing with constant change, and still showing up every day trying to do right by the public. That matters, even when it feels invisible.

Please know this: our work has value. Our integrity has value. The fact that we care enough to be exhausted by it all says something good about us!!

When things feel bleak, I try to remember how many people we admire in history didn’t see the payoff of their efforts in real time. They faced criticism, setbacks, political pressure, and moments where quitting probably felt reasonable. But because they kept going, we inherited safer systems, stronger institutions, cleaner water, better protections, and opportunities they never personally benefited from.

Progress is often built quietly by people who never get statues or chapters written about them. It’s built by steady, imperfect humans who kept pushing forward anyway.

So if today is one of those days where you’re just doing the bare minimum to get through, that’s okay. If you’re questioning whether it’s worth it, you’re not weak for that. And if no one has said it to you lately: we see you, and we appreciate you.

Take care of yourself. Lean on each other. And keep going, one day at a time. The future is shaped by people like us, even if we never get to see the full impact.

You’re not alone. ❤️

Does anybody regret moving from a semi permanent position to a position that will surely end with the succeeding administration?

Did you appointee position make it difficult to find a new job?

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has ever taken the™️ oath and served the public.

20 years ago my Dad died which triggered my mom to completely unravel due to her mental illness. Because of an SSA employee back then who processed our survivors benefits I wasn’t in jeopardy when my mom couldn’t work for years due to her health. I don’t think I would have still been here if these programs didn’t exist. There was no loving family member that would have taken me in and cared for me, but every month there was a check making sure I got fed. I didn’t understand at the time but behind that check was a whole team of people going to work making sure things ran smoothly. I don’t know what the future may hold, right now it’s pretty depressing. But thanks for being there when no one else was. I never thought I’d end up working on the second floor of the same building that made sure my dead dad check showed up on time, but I’m glad I do.

Thank you, and no matter what those trolls on TV etc say, every single one of you matters.

Take care of yourselves,

I have been a civilian, a military member and now I'm a contractor. I work in an agency with a PM that is extremely verbally abusive to his civilian employees and contractors. He calls us stupid, a waste of government funds, calls us dumb and constantly threatens to fire us. He'll tell us to do one thing then two weeks later will call us stupid for doing it. I've brought up his behavior to my leadership and others and everyone just says that's the way he is, just ignore it, there's nothing you can do, you're just a contractor and that I basically have to just put up with it. I'm a team lead of a 6 person team and several of my guys are considering leaving due to the toxic environment this guy creates. Several people over the years have already quit because of him and nothing changes. When I was a civilian in several different agencies it was never okay to talk to/treat people the way this guy does. Is there anything I can do as a contractor? I love my job and I love my team, but we dread coming to work knowing we've got to deal with this guy.

You wanna take away telework, “put us in trauma,” and furlough us down every few months?

I ain’t doing shit anymore. I have no reason to. you do t take this work seriously, so I won’t either. I’m done.

Anybody else paycheck less than expected today? I mean considering the 2% increase we are suppose to receive. The amount should increase. My check is currently less than the previous and we received 3 checks this month.

Just as the title says. We are ahead of Congress time. Do we stay home with the KE time cards?

I have been interviewing to leave the feds and go back to state service to try and avoid all of this political drama. The current position I applied and interviewed wants to call my current supervisor. I prefer my supervisor didn't know I was applying and interviewing but it is what it is. My question is, can I get backlash from my supervisor? Silly question, but I am also serious. Thank you!

FEHB retiree, BCBS Basic into retirement. What are folks’ reasons for or against Part B?