After a year of deep disruptions to the career civil service, lawmakers have created a bicameral caucus attempting to defend federal workers and promote long-term reforms. Its goals range from protecting the nonpartisan public service to improving federal pay and retention. We hear more from a co-leader of the new Federal Workforce Caucus, Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.).

Plus, we tap into the perspective of Dave Lebryk, who spent a career leading teams through both calm and crisis across government. After recently stepping away from public service, he’s now watching former colleagues shoulder one of the toughest years in recent memory. We hear his thoughts on how leaders still on the job keep themselves grounded, keep their teams motivated and keep pushing for better performance.

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We the Doers is a new organization proposing a different path forward for government reform and improvements to agency performance. In our last episode, we featured the first part of this conversation. Now, we dive into the final piece of Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller’s discussion with the co-founders of We the Doers, April Harding and Maureen Klovers.

Plus, the Office of Personnel Management is out with more details on how agencies should implement the new “rule of many” in federal hiring. OPM says it will streamline the recruitment process. But implementation also depends on agencies’ resources and staffing levels. We get more from Jenny Mattingley, the vice president of government affairs at the Partnership for Public Service.

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Over the last three decades, there has been no shortage of ideas for how to improve federal agency performance. But now, a group of former federal executives called We the Doers is offering a different path to reforming the government, based on more than 88 years of combined federal service. For more on what We the Doers is proposing, Federal News Network’s Jason Miller sat down with the organization’s co-founders, Maureen Klovers and April Harding.

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From TSP contributions to investment choices and building a stronger safety net, a few smart moves now can set federal employees up for financial confidence all year long. Certified financial planner Thiago Glieger joins us with helpful hints for building a strong financial plan in 2026.

Plus, financial strain, workforce upheaval and uncertainty marked the past year for service members and veterans. Mike Meese, president of Armed Forces Mutual, reflects on the biggest challenges of 2025 and looks ahead to the workforce policies that could shape 2026. 

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Federal senior executives have some new training and development opportunities from the Office of Personnel Management. The optional courses cover many of the Trump administration’s new priorities for the federal workforce. OPM launched the training programs in November, but there will be continuous updates to the content moving forward. We get more from OPM Director Scott Kupor.

Plus, the Trump administration’s deviation from norms as it transitioned into the White House earlier this year is raising questions about the future of presidential transition planning. A new report from the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition takes a deeper look at that transfer of power — and says there is a need for transition reforms, especially when it comes to transparency and security. The Partnership’s vice president of government affairs, Jenny Mattingley, tells us the details.

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With Open Season underway, rising premiums may be top of mind for enrollees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. But there are other changes employees and annuitants will want to be aware of — like the plans entering or leaving FEHB, and benefits changes across the government’s insurance programs. We hear more from Kevin Moss, director of marketing and fundraising at Consumer’s Checkbook.

Plus, federal employees are experiencing disruptions in the workplace at a rate nearly three times the national average. Close to one-third of federal employees say their workplace has been disrupted “to a very large extent” this year, according to new data from Gallup. We get a breakdown of the latest findings from Camille Lloyd, a director and senior consultant at Gallup.

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Today we are diving into all things Open Season. Whether you’re enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, or the Postal Service Health Benefits program — and whether you’re an active employee, or a federal retiree — there’s a lot to know about the upcoming one-month enrollment period that starts Nov. 10. Premium rates are on the rise again with another year of double-digit increases. There are also a number of plans both leaving and entering the government’s health insurance marketplace in 2026. Kevin Moss, director of marketing and fundraising at Consumer’s Checkbook, tells us more.

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The deferred resignation program has largely reshaped the federal workforce this year. The new program from the Trump administration asked employees to agree to quit their jobs in exchange for seven months of paid leave. The program ultimately led to more than 154,000 employees officially leaving the government’s rolls on Sept. 30. But even after that deadline passed, many federal employees who took the DRP are still unsure about their status, next steps and legal exposure. We get more from Michael Fallings, a managing partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC.

Plus, thousands of IRS employees have left their jobs this year — and even more cuts are on the way. Many of the impacted IRS employees who have officially parted from the agency are now facing an uncertain future. One retired federal employee recently launched a volunteer network to help those individuals find their footing, by offering free career coaching, resume help and emotional support to those navigating life after government service. Perry DiToto, the creator of the network, called “Career Support For You,” shares more.

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After the Office of Personnel Management canceled this year’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, competing ideas have emerged on how to approach the requirements for agencies to survey their employees, and what OPM’s role should be in those surveys for the long haul. We get perspectives from Rob Shriver, former OPM acting director and current managing director of the Civil Service Strong initiative at Democracy Forward — as well as Sydney Heimbrock, former executive director of the OPM Innovation Lab, and currently the public sector chief industry advisor at Qualtrics.

Plus, a new oral history project from the Volcker Alliance and the Organization of American Historians captures the voices of displaced federal employees, offering an unfiltered look at public service, policy and the personal toll of government downsizing. Jason Chernesky, director of the Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project, recently sat down with Federal News Network’s Terry Gerton to share more about the project.

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Agencies are facing tons of changing expectations from the Office of Personnel Management this year. In the last few weeks alone, OPM has told agencies how to think differently about awarding employees for good work, as well as how to implement recent changes to the federal probationary period. There’s also new guidance on where agencies should limit, or add more flexibility, on paid administrative leave. Jenny Mattingley, the Partnership for Public Service’s vice president of government affairs, joins us to help make sense of it all.

Plus, it’s a busy time for federal retirement. From rising health care costs to the surge in retirement applications, there’s a lot to keep track of. Not to mention, OPM has just launched a new online retirement system. To learn more about what makes a retirement case “clean,” how to avoid common delays, and what federal employees should be thinking about before they hit submit, Federal News Network’s Terry Gerton caught up with a principal at Retire Federal, Tammy Flanagan.

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