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 Greg Stanford at gstanford@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.

President Donald Trump issued a memorandum in August allowing private employers to defer the collection of payroll taxes. As of September 9, 2020, it has been confirmed that federal employees will have their payment of payroll taxes deferred, and  are forbidden from opting out of this order. 

There are a few things feds need to know about this. First, foremost, and by far the most important: you will still pay your payroll taxes.Ordinarily, these payroll taxes would be automatically deducted from your paycheck before you received it. In this case, your paycheck will appear larger when you receive it, because this automatic deduction will not have occurred. 

As we reported last month, the House of Representatives approved 10 of the twelve annual appropriations bills as part of two separate “minibus” packages prior to the August recess. Funding bills for Homeland Security and the Legislative Branch were not included in either package. The Senate has not yet considered or approved any appropriations bills for FY 2021, which begins on October 1. 

Congress has been in its traditional August recess since our last publication, so there has been no change to the status of FY21 appropriations. However, recent reports suggest Congress and the administration are making progress on talks toward a continuing resolution that would avert a shutdown and extend funding to a date to be determined.  

Last month we reported on President Trump’s plan to nominate John Gibbs to serve as director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Gibbs testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee as part of his confirmation process on Wednesday, September 9, and the committee is expected to vote on his nomination on Wednesday, September 16. If he advances past the committee, he would then be considered by the full U.S. Senate.

    

Gibbs currently serves as the acting assistant secretary for community planning and development at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. OPM has been without a Senate-confirmed director since the unexpected resignation of Dale Cabaniss in March 2020.

FMA corporate sponsor GPIS Employee Benefits Specialist is assisting with our current membership recruitment campaign. GPIS is providing a $100 gift card to any new regular member who joins FMA by September 30, 2020. Current members who recruit new members during this period will be entered into a drawing that will award a $500 grand prize, $250 second prize, and year of free FMA membership as third prize.

 

This incentive from GPIS, and the hard work you and your members are putting into this campaign, is already paying real dividends to the organization. The more members we have, the more influence we have with Congress to pass meaningful legislation to benefit federal managers, and the more agency senior leadership and installation commands take our advice into account when drafting policies that impact managers. Over the coming months and years, we see numerous opportunities to enact real, beneficial change for feds. Your efforts in this campaign are helping to put us in the best possible position to take advantage of these opportunities. Please keep recruiting new FMA members!

If you would like more information about this exciting opportunity, please contact FMA’s Adam Kay at akay@fedmanagers.org.

On August 18, FMA National President Craig Carter and Director of Government & Public Affairs Greg Stanford welcomed nearly 40 FMA members to a live video conference. Carter and Stanford discussed many of the issues FMA is currently working on, including Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations, the status of a pay raise in 2021, what’s included in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, ongoing relief efforts related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Their presentation was followed by FMA members asking questions of the pair.

The virtual town hall was a big success, and FMA will continue to host these dynamic sessions in the future. Stay tuned for more opportunities to participate!