The Civil Service Archive

Tracking changes to the federal workplace

Small changes in personnel policies can create seismic shifts in how our government operates — but these internal policies can be hard to find. This Archive provides a catalog of recent changes to policies and practices affecting the federal civil service, searchable by agency, employee category, and theme.

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236 Matching Records

Citing Staffing Needs, FEMA Begins Reinstating Employees

According to the New York Times, the Federal Management Emergency Agency (FEMA) is reversing staffing cuts it previously made under Secretary Kristi Noem's leadership. These reversals have included the reinstatement of 14 employees who signed the Katrina Declaration — an...

State Department Updates FAM to Add Business Formal Dress Code Guidance

On April 2, 2026, the State Department modified its Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) to include a section titled "3 FAM 4116 Employee Dress." This section added new requirements around dress attire for both foreign service and civil service employees. It...

State Department Announces Reforms to the U.S. Foreign Service

On April 1, 2026, the Department of State announced a series of changes to the United States Foreign Service, including in hiring, promotion, and onboarding. According to a Fact Sheet put out by the Department of State, the reforms include...

EO 14,397: Further Continuance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council

This Executive Order, dated March 24, 2026, extends the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council until either 10 days after it submits its report to the President, or May 29, 2026. This is the second extension effectuated by Executive...

CBP Privacy Officers Reportedly Reassigned for Questioning DHS FOIA Directives as Illegal

Since January 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reportedly reassigned multiple career Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials from their positions after they objected to a new policy regarding the release of certain documents. As reported by Wired,...

Reduction in Force

On March 5, 2026, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed this new rule that would significantly shift the process for conducting Reductions in Force (RIFs). A number of federal statutes govern how RIFs are conducted but give authority to...

Contract Award Review Policy: Contracts Over $100,000 (Reportedly Rescinded)

According to multiple news reports (CNN, Federal News Network) and a report issued by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem instituted a new policy whereby any contract...

Managing Senior Professional Performance

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) jointly published a proposed regulation in the Federal Register that would create a dedicated performance appraisal framework for more senior employees who are not members of...

Submission for Reinstatement of Forms Used for Program Services Evaluation & Leadership Assessment Surveys

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published notice of its work with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which oversees the government's information collection activities, to obtain the reinstatement of forms OPM used during the first Trump administration to...

Performance Appraisal for General Schedule, Prevailing Rate, & Other Employees

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published this proposed regulation which would significantly change the performance appraisal framework for the vast majority of federal employees. The most significant change is that the proposed regulation would remove the prohibition against the...

Supplemental Guidance on the Merit Hiring Plan

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued this guidance memo on its Merit Hiring Plan. The memo itself has four attached guidance memos, each on a different aspect of implementing the new hiring approach: a memo on agency leadership involvement,...

Hiring Authority for College Graduates

In February 2026, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) finalized a regulation that the Biden administration had proposed in 2021 but had not issued as a final regulation. The regulation implements a law Congress enacted to allow the federal government...

Hiring Authority for Post-Secondary Students

Guidance re Implementation of Executive Orders 14,251 & 14,343

On February 11, 2026, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued guidance on Executive Orders 14,251 and 14,343, in which President Trump sought to terminate union representation for many federal employees, primarily citing to national security concerns. At the time...

FAQs on Telework Accommodations for Disabilities in the Federal Government

This memorandum regarding telework as an accommodation for workers with disabilities was issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and jointly signed by OPM's Director and the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC). The document and its...

Reduction in Force Appeals

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the appeal process for Reductions in Force (RIFs). Under OPM's existing regulations, employees could appeal being laid off as a result of a RIF to the...

SSA Reassigns Hundreds of Employees to Answer Phones after 2025 Staffing Cuts

After about 7,400 employees separated voluntarily or involuntarily from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2025, the agency reassigned hundreds of employees to help answer phones in early 2026. According to a news report, SSA reassigned employees from disability adjudication,...

Improving Performance, Accountability & Responsiveness in the Civil Service

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a final rule implementing EO 14,171 (Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce) which created a new category of federal employee: Schedule Policy/Career (P/C). In general, civil servants are classified into...

Additional Implementing Guidance for Schedule P/C Final Rule

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a follow-up to its initial guidance to agencies on implementing its final Schedule Policy/Career (P/C) regulation. The follow-up guidance included six new appendices with document for use by agencies, which together make a...