NARFE National Headquarters

06/12/2026

A bipartisan trio of House lawmakers on Thursday reintroduced legislation aimed at expanding federal workers’ access to paid leave to handle illnesses and other circumstances not included in the 2019 law granting feds paid parental leave.

Read "Expanding paid leave for federal workers is back on the table" on Government Executive: https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2026/06/expanding-paid-leave-federal-workers-back/414127/?oref=ge-home-top-story

06/12/2026

Missed Thursday's webinar, "Should I Stay or Go?," where Tony Opat leads an in-depth discussion on federal employment topics?

No problem! The full recording, slides and transcript are available to NARFE members on demand here: https://www.narfe.org/education/narfe-webinars/webinar-archive/should-i-stay-or-go/

Not a member? Join NARFE to watch all of our trainings on demand: https://www.narfe.org/lp/join-54z/ See less

06/12/2026

The Supreme Court is considering overturning a Mississippi law that allows counting of mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. That will affect Alaska, where ballots can be weather-delayed.

Read more on NPR:

The Supreme Court is considering overturning a Mississippi law that allows counting of mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. That will affect Alaska, where ballots can be weather-delayed.

06/12/2026

Palantir Technologies' new U.S. Department of Agriculture contract is alarming — less because of its size than because of what it makes normal.

The Department of Agriculture has obligated $3.9 million for a Palantir return-to-office tracking tool, with a potential value of $13.3 million through September 2027. Although that may look small in federal procurement terms, it could still become a prototype for something much larger: a government market for software that turns office attendance into an enforcement system.

The release of a new, mandatory app from The White House sharpens that concern, because it includes more than operational notices.

Read this opinion column on The Hill:

Washington keeps adopting tools that can shape, track or influence the federal workforce before Congress sets clear rules for how those tools may be used.

06/12/2026

Let’s face it. These days, the traditional career ladder doesn’t work for every stage of a federal career, and it doesn’t have to.

At FEDcon2026, this engaging session presented by professional coach Mika Cross invites federal workers at every level, age and stage, to rethink success, challenge common career myths, and reimagine how their experience translates into leadership, influence, and optionality over time. Learn how to Honor your service → Reframe your skills → Activate options, → and Leave with a value-aligned next step.

06/11/2026

The latest inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) delivered unwelcome news for consumers but at least some good news for retirees who rely on annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). While higher inflation means rising prices for gasoline, groceries, housing, and other necessities, it also increases the likelihood that Social Security beneficiaries and federal retirees will receive a larger COLA in 2027.

Read more on FedSmith, Inc.:

Inflation was higher in May, increasing estimates for the 2027 COLA. Here are the latest estimates for 2027.

06/11/2026

When it comes to congressional earmarks, the big dogs usually eat first.

So it’s no surprise that House Appropriations Chairman Congressman Tom Cole, R-Okla., leads the pack on “community project funding” included in his panel’s fiscal 2027 spending bills, with $188.4 million.

The No. 2 House Republican, Congressman Steve Scalise of Louisiana, comes in a close second, with $186.5 million for his district.

Cole, Scalise and fellow House Republicans secured about 59 percent, or close to $4.9 billion, of the total $8.2 billion earmarked dollars across the chamber’s appropriations bills, a CQ Roll Call tally found.

GOP lawmakers put in about 39 percent of the 6,694 individual projects, so each member on their side is getting a larger share of dollars per district.

Read more on Roll Call:

ANALYSIS — When it comes to congressional earmarks, the big dogs usually eat first. So it’s no surprise that House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., leads the pack on “community project funding” included in his panel’s fiscal 2027 spending bills, with $188.4 million. The No. 2 Hou...

06/11/2026

Starting at 2pm ET today! Hope you can join us.

In our second session on this important topic, we will revisit how 2025 proved challenging for federal employees and how 2026 may present additional obstacles. With workplace changes and new responsibilities, it’s natural to consider your options. Making informed, proactive decisions about your future is crucial for long-term stability. Understanding how your choices may impact you over time can set you up for success. Careful planning forms the foundation of a secure and independent future. To assist, NARFE’s federal benefits specialist, Tony Opat, will lead an in-depth discussion on federal employment topics, including:

• Considering retirement or resignation
• Reviewing the big picture of federal retirement income
• Understanding various types of retirement and separation incentive eligibility
• Reviewing creditable service
• Securing important documents that may be needed for retirement processing
Introducing the new OPM Online Retirement System

A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Join Tony Opat and our team at 2 p.m. ET on June 11 to discover more about the Federal Employees Retirement System’s (FERS) Basic Benefit Plan and the options available to you. Register today: https://members.narfe.org/Events/Calendar-Of-Events/Meeting-Home-Page?Meetingid=976A0262-125A-F111-BEC7-002248099E5F

06/11/2026

House appropriators are backing the Trump administration’s proposed pay raise for troops in fiscal 2027 as part of a $1.1 trillion defense spending bill released Wednesday.

Military service members could see their paychecks grow by 5% to 7%, depending on their rank. Enlisted troops, particularly those at the lowest levels, would receive the largest raises.

But this year’s boost does not appear to extend to the Defense Department’s more than 700,000 civilian employees.

Read more on Federal News Network:

DoD civilian employees would not see a pay raise under the House's 2027 spending bill, but service members would see a 5% to 7% increase.

06/11/2026

In recent weeks, we have heard concerns from NARFE members and the broader federal community regarding a draft notice from the Office of Personnel Management that would require current and federal employees to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. NARFE opposes this draft notice because federal employees are already subject to laws and regulations governing the protection of classified, confidential, and other restricted information.

Send your comments here by June 26: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/27/2026-10471/confidential-government-information-nondisclosure-agreement -comment

A governmentwide NDA threatens to chill protected speech, including reporting corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse. The federal government operates on behalf of the American people, not private owners or shareholders. The public has a right to a degree of transparency into government operations and federal employees throughout the federal community should not be intimidated by the implicit threat of retaliation for for legally and constitutionally-protected disclosures.

The notice asks for feedback on what the NDA should cover as well as what repercussions, if any, employees should face for refusal to sign. We encourage all NARFE members, federal employees, and stakeholders across the federal community to submit comments on this proposal to the Federal Register by Friday, June 26 of this month. Links to the comment form are available on NARFE's website, in the description of our social media posts, and in this latest NewsLine.