This report provides an update on issues affecting federal managers. As always, I encourage you to visit www.fedmanagers.org on a regular basis for more information on these and other matters.

Also, be sure to look for the FMA Grassroots Update, where we offer links to action letters and FMA-PAC matters we do not address in the Washington Report. The grassroots newsletter is sent exclusively to non-governmental email addresses to avoid any Hatch Act violations. If you are not receiving it, contact the national office to provide your non-governmental email address.

Please feel free to provide feedback any time by emailing Adam Kay at akay@fedmanagers.org or by calling the National Office at (703) 683-8700. Thank you for your membership in FMA. It’s an honor to represent your interests before Congress and the administration.

Every month, FMA writes a partner column for FEDmanager.com. The following article originally ran in the January 11, 2022 issue.

Congress has what’s known as the “power of the purse.” Article One of the Constitution grants Congress the authority – and the responsibility – to pass an annual budget that funds the government and all its necessary functions. This is an incredible power to have. Congress can decide what weapons systems the military will have, how NASA will access space, how many infectious disease experts the CDC will be able to hire, how big of a budget the IRS will have for chasing down tax evasion, and far more. That assumes, of course, that they pass a budget.

The Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is currently the only Justice Department agency with a leader who is not confirmed by the Senate. The bipartisan Federal Prisons Accountability Act, introduced January 14 by Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) would make the Director of the BOP a Senate confirmed position, appointed by the President and subject to a confirmation vote. FMA endorses this legislation, and believes it will help to increase accountability and transparency at the BOP.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) have introduced this year’s version of the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, which would give federal employees a 5.1 percent pay raise in 2023. The bill contains a 4.1 percent increase in base pay, and an additional 1 percent increase in locality pay.

On Wednesday, January 12, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, introduced legislation (S. 3487) that would significantly boost death benefit gratuities and funeral allowances for federal employees who die in the line of duty. FMA National President Craig Carter was quoted in a press release upon introduction in support of the bill.

Where can you get valuable training, tell your elected representatives what you need from them, and have fun with your friends and fellow federal managers all at the same time?

Answer: the 2022 FMA National Convention. Join us in Alexandria from March 27 to March 30, 2022. This year's offerings will include everything from informative training sessions to happy hours where you can meet managers from across the federal government. We've even been promised that at least one of our Region Directors will be wearing a chicken suit in honor of the region who recruits the most new members this year.

January 11, 2022, marked the five year anniversary without a quorum at the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). As the MSPB cannot finalize cases without a quorum, the backlog of unresolved cases has piled up over the last five years, now exceeding 3,400 cases. An unknown number of these cases, when finally heard, will be found in favor of employees who filed grievances for improper removal. This is incredibly concerning for two reasons.

In the October, 2021, Washington Report, we reported that the House had passed nine of twelve appropriations bills, while the Senate had to that point failed to pass a single appropriations bill. In the twelve weeks since that report, no visible progress towards passing a budget for FY2022 has been made. The Senate has still failed to pass a single bill. The House still has three bills that have not been passed. So not a single one has made it to President Biden’s desk for final signature.

Officials at the Pentagon have warned that a full year CR would reduce available funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) by more than $20 billion. A CR keeps funding for all programs at last year’s levels, meaning that large amounts of money could not be spent productively. For example, three billion dollars are earmarked for the Afghan National Security Force, which no longer exists, and cannot be spent on anything else.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and other federal agencies are actively hiring HR talent and they are asking for FMA’s help. They are recruiting the next wave of HR talent critical to the government’s initiative to expand hiring under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. OPM shared information and links for anyone interested in starting a career in human resources and a fact sheet about infrastructure jobs, more broadly.

On January 11, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force published new and updated FAQs for Testing and Vaccinations.

When the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act was finalized, a two-year probationary period at the Department of Defense was unfortunately one of the casualties. FMA National President Craig Carter issued the following statement: