Jory Heckman
@jheckman.bsky.social
@FederalNewsNet reporter covering the federal workforce, USPS, tech & data 📧: JHeckman@federalnewsnetwork.com | Signal: jheckman.29
@denicewross.bsky.social and I spoke with @jheckman.bsky.social about demystifying Federal data with the federaldatafieldguide.us: federalnewsnetwork.com/big-data/202...
Federal data guide aims to demystify ‘patchwork’ of laws governing data sharing | Federal News Network
The field guide outlines the breadth of data the federal government collects and makes available.
federalnewsnetwork.com
The State Department is directing some managers to go back and revise annual performance evaluations they've already submitted to give employees lower scores. Under a 1-5 scoring system, State is telling managers to “strictly adhere to an average rating cap of 3.25” ⬇️
NY Times picks up & credits a story I've been following for a few months now: The CDC is top among agencies cracking down on workplace flexibilities as a reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities ⬇️ www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/h...
Employees With Medical Conditions Challenge C.D.C. In-Office Requirement
nytimes.com
One separated Foreign Service officer told me his exact role is up on USAJobs right now. The posting says there are "MANY vacancies" the department is looking to fill
Jory Heckman@jheckman.bsky.social · 3mo agoMost IRS employees (from HR & IT) involuntarily covering frontline filing-season work will remain on their temporary reassignments for 120 more days. Maybe another 120 days after that, depending on how quickly they clear a backlog of amended tax returns ⬇️
Today @state-department.bsky.social finalized layoffs for ~250 Foreign Service employees who have been on paid admin leave since July 2025. It rolled out this recruitment campaign last month for new hires. Officials recently told lawmakers that laid-off staff can't compete for these vacant positions
Department of State@state-department.bsky.social · 10mo agoMore Americans want to join the State Department as diplomats today than at any point in the last decade. President Trump's America First agenda has rallied confidence in our nation's leadership and a renewed belief in the power of diplomacy to advance our nation's interests globally.
Most IRS employees (from HR & IT) involuntarily covering frontline filing-season work will remain on their temporary reassignments for 120 more days. Maybe another 120 days after that, depending on how quickly they clear a backlog of amended tax returns ⬇️
IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano told @senatefinance.bsky.social this was the "most successful filing season in IRS history," and demonstrated that the agency can have both “less people and better results.” The agency lost 27% of its workforce last year ⬇️
Federal News Network: CDC eases telework restrictions for disabled employees, as HHS faces 9,000-request backlog by Jory Heckman @jheckman.bsky.social bit.ly/4cxZQLF
Interesting tidbit from the FY 2027 budget proposal: White House says it's eliminated 1,200 "redundant" federal websites so far in the Trump administration.
NEWS: The Interior Department is giving employees a third opportunity to accept voluntary incentives to leave their jobs or retire early, ahead of a long-awaited department reorganization. federalnewsnetwork.com/reorganizati...
Interior Dept gives employees third shot at voluntary incentives to leave their jobs | Federal News Network
Interior is looking to shrink its headcount ahead of a “strategic initiative to improve resource management and the delivery of critical resources."
federalnewsnetwork.com
Scoop: The IRS is telling some of its employees, in the final weeks of the filing season, that their overtime wages were miscalculated on tax forms, and that they may need to submit corrected returns ⬇️
Meanwhile, the IRS tech shop is back in hiring mode, after losing more than 40% of its workforce
Jory Heckman@jheckman.bsky.social · 4mo agoTreasury is about to send reduction-in-force notices to employees at its Office of Financial Research, created by Congress in the aftermath of the 2008 recession to avoid a similar economic crisis. federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/20...
Treasury is about to send reduction-in-force notices to employees at its Office of Financial Research, created by Congress in the aftermath of the 2008 recession to avoid a similar economic crisis. federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/20...
Treasury prepares RIF for office created to avoid financial crisis, IRS IT resumes hiring after mass reassignments | Federal News Network
The Treasury Department is preparing to send layoff notices to employees at its Office of Financial Research, created in the aftermath of the 2008 recession.
federalnewsnetwork.com
The Department of Veterans Affairs told a federal judge in Rhode Island yesterday that it complied with a court order to restore its contract covering 300K employees rep'd by @afgenvac.bsky.social, but is under no obligation to carry out its provisions ⬇️
A federal judge found VA Secretary Doug Collins “favored some unions over others,” by selectively enforcing an executive order that barred collective bargaining at many agencies (including the VA) over national security concerns federalnewsnetwork.com/veterans-aff...
VA ordered to restore AFGE contract under federal judge’s temporary order | Federal News Network
The VA is likely to appeal the decision, and an appeals court recently found similar retaliation claims unconvincing in a separate case.
federalnewsnetwork.com
House Democrats say 830K taxpayers are waiting up to 2 months to get their tax refunds. The reason? They normally get their refund as a paper check, but the Trump administration phased those out in favor of electronic payments. federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2...
IRS phase-out of paper checks leaves some taxpayers waiting months for refunds | Federal News Network
The National Taxpayer Advocate estimates that over 10 million taxpayers previously received their IRS refund as a paper check.
federalnewsnetwork.com
Scoop: The Interior Department directed all its bureaus and offices to delete non-English content from their websites by the end of the day Tuesday, according to an internal notice from its IT shop. federalnewsnetwork.com/technology-m...
Interior Dept directs IT shop to ‘scrub’ non-English content from its websites | Federal News Network
A new disclaimer on Interior Department websites states “English is the official language and authoritative version of all federal information.”…
federalnewsnetwork.com
Scoop: One less job for Marco Rubio. He's no longer serving as the acting head of the National Archives and Records Administration. Still dual-hatted as Secretary of State & acting national security advisor federalnewsnetwork.com/people/2026/...
Marco Rubio out as acting head of National Archives | Federal News Network
Before the end of his tenure, Rubio tapped James Byron, senior advisor to the archivist, to serve and perform the functions of archivist.
federalnewsnetwork.com
2/5 HHS is facing a 3,300+ backlog of RA requests, with reviews expected to take 6–8 months. CDC employees with disabilities have been given mixed or incorrect guidance about telework accommodations. ❗ Must read from @jheckman.bsky.social at @federalnewsnetwork.com
HHS faces months-long backlog of reasonable accommodation requests from employees
The Department of Health and Human Services expects it will take six to eight months to clear a backlog of reasonable accommodation requests from employees.
federalnewsnetwork.com
A VA nurse working in an oncology unit said cuts to support staff mean her coworkers are spending more time on ancillary duties -- at less time with patients.
Jory Heckman@jheckman.bsky.social · last yr.11K+ VA employees in health care-related positions -- including 1,300 nurses, 800 medical support assistants & 200 physicians - applied for "deferred resignation," signed up for early retirement, or voluntarily retired. VA says 'very few' are eligible for separation incentives
11K+ VA employees in health care-related positions -- including 1,300 nurses, 800 medical support assistants & 200 physicians - applied for "deferred resignation," signed up for early retirement, or voluntarily retired. VA says 'very few' are eligible for separation incentives
Over 11,000 VA health care employees apply to leave, but ‘very few’ eligible for separation incentives
According to an internal dashboard, the Veterans Health Administration has about 63,000 more employees than it did in FY 2019.
federalnewsnetwork.com
Went for a run and made a new friend last week. But I’m back on the clock and ready to do some reporting. News tips on what’s happening in the federal government/workforce are always welcome Signal: Jheckman.29 Email: Jheckman@federalnewsnetwork.com
NEW: Layoff notices were scheduled to hit several IRS offices last Friday -- but never came. Rumors spread among employees as to why. But the acting deputy COO says "glitches" and "issues" are to blame. federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/20...
IRS layoff notices to employees delayed by ‘glitches’
IRS employees told Federal News Network that RIF notices slated for several offices didn’t go out last Friday as planned.
federalnewsnetwork.com
It's hard to overstate how much everyone who worked on IRS Direct File saw it as a new model for government to deliver benefits & services to the public. Almost a 180-degree flip from the 2013 Healthcare. gov crash. federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2...
a young man wearing a hat and a jacket looks at something
ALT: a young man wearing a hat and a jacket looks at something
media.tenor.com
Scoop: As part of its return-to-office plans, OPM is planning to spend more than $42M to relocate approximately 250 employees — or about $166,000 per employee. That's significantly higher than what the average federal employee makes in a year. federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/20...
OPM plans to spend nearly $42 million to relocate a few hundred employees
In February, OPM gave remote employees an ultimatum: relocate within commuting distance of its office space or accept termination.
federalnewsnetwork.com
@wired.com Big fan of all the reporting you're doing on the federal news beat. I always try to give credit when you're first to a story. Probably a simple oversight, but I'm hoping you're able to return the favor on the SSA/X news I broke this morning federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-overs...
SSA shifts to X posts for official messaging after cuts to communications staff
SSA is once again walking back plans that would have limited the agency's level of phone support to beneficiaries.
federalnewsnetwork.com
good thing so many retirees are tech savvy, have X accounts, and are good at spotting misinformation!
SSA shifts to X posts for official messaging after cuts to communications staff
SSA is once again walking back plans that would have limited the agency's level of phone support to beneficiaries.
federalnewsnetwork.com
Breaking news: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the president to remove a pair of independent regulators whose cases have broad implications for at least two dozen other agencies, including the Federal Reserve Board, and for how the federal government operates.
Trump asks Supreme Court to let him fire independent regulators
The Supreme Court’s decision on whether Trump can remove the pair will test the boundaries of presidential power and have broad implications for at least two dozen other agencies.
washingtonpost.com
GSA's acting administration recently told employees, "There's nobody working for DOGE here." But DOGE officials dominate a list of vetted personnel granted access to restricted parts of the GSA's headquarters federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-overs...
DOGE officials across government appear on GSA’s shortlist of vetted personnel
DOGE officials across the federal government dominate a shortlist of individuals allowed past security on the sixth floor of GSA’s headquarters.
federalnewsnetwork.com
