Huey and I experienced a wide range of environments in North Carolina. During the few weeks we were in the state, we faced below-freezing temperatures and days with highs in the seventies. We drove through rural farmland surrounding the Uwharrie Forest, suburban sprawl surrounding Research Triangle Park, and urban streets in Wilmington. We (tried to) visit the most modern of research facilities and saw the remains of a colonial settlement from over 200 years ago. We followed the trail of federal government involvement through all of these environments. I continue to be amazed at the vast scope of federal influence, which oversees the history and the future innovations coming out of North Carolina.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are both under a hiring freeze, according to reports from individuals working within the agencies. For TSA, the freeze appears to be based on budgetary constraints. For USCIS, the agency has indicated the decision was based on continued evaluations of staffing needs.

The Census Bureau has requested assistance by local law enforcement to protect employees going door to door to engage in the Decennial Census count. The count, which is set to begin in the continental U.S. in April, is the largest enumeration the federal government takes every ten years and requires more than a half million government employees, known as listers or enumerators, to visit homes to collect data on the U.S. population.

A former executive director of the South Arkansas Youth Services (SAYS), an Arkansas based non-profit, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully diverting more than $380,00 from the charity he operated to a state senator and the lobbying firm of a convicted lobbyist. The former executive director, Jerry Walsh, must also pay $515,631.56 in restitution.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) removed a preference-eligible veteran from his position as an attorney advisor near the end of his one-year probationary period due to allegedly poor performance. The employee filed for corrective action with the Merit Systems Protection Board, alleging that the agency violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) when it removed him because of his preference-eligible status. An MSPB administrative judge denied the request for corrective action, and the employee appealed to the Federal Circuit. On November 7, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the MSPB decision, and remanded the case to the MSPB for a determination of the appropriate corrective action. On January 22, 2020, before the remand took effect, the government filed a petition for rehearing en banc, asking that all judges of the Federal Circuit hear the case and rule on a “precedent-setting question of exceptional importance.”

Detect. Prevent. Enforce. Learn about the life in the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have introduced the Ethical Use of Facial Recognition Act to stop federal government use of facial recognition until comprehensive ethical guidelines can be created. The legislation provides exceptions for some federal law enforcement use and creates a commission to recommend uses for facial recognition in the future.

A federal jury issued a guilty verdict against four defendants for their roles in running “pill mills” in Knoxville, Tennessee. A federal jury convicted Sylvia Hofstetter of Miami, Florida and Courtney Newman, Cynthia Clemons, and Holli Womack, all of Knoxville, Tennessee. The jury returned guilty verdicts against Hofstetter for a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy, a drug conspiracy, money laundering, and maintaining drug-involved premises. The guilty verdicts against Newman, Clemons, and Womack were for maintaining drug-involved premises.

On September 2, 2013, Ronald and Sharon Jenkins went to buy crabs at the Warf in Washington, DC. Mr. Jenkins operated their vehicle and got into an altercation with another driver in the parking lot after the other driver “stole” a parking spot that Mr. Jenkins was waiting for. The Jenkinses found another spot, and went on to purchase crabs. Before they returned to their vehicle, a police radio reported “a traffic dispute that possibly resulted in some type of assault” in which “a knife had been pulled.” Officer Michael Davis responded to the scene and spoke with other officers there.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has appointed Shanna Devine to serve as the first Director of the Whistleblower Ombudsman Office of the House of Representatives. The office was created in the House Rules package passed at the outset of the 116th Congress to assist the House in developing best practices for whistleblower intake and to provide trainings to House offices on how to safely and confidentially receive information from whistleblowers.

Tune in to FEDtalk this week to hear about the impact of different presidents on black history in the United States. Joining our host, Jason Briefel, will be Matthew Costello from the White House Historical Association and Gabriel Greaves from the Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center.

Law enforcement officers know that gang members and violent criminals commit ruthless, savage, and heinous acts.  Law enforcement officers are aware that criminals and criminal acts are becoming more brazen. Law enforcement officers understand that use of force is still the most debated law enforcement issue in America. 

In honor of President’s Day, here is a look inside what it takes to protect the President of the United States.

The White House has released the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget request complete with sweeping agency cuts and some new reorganization proposals. While the budget request rarely translates into law due to compromises in Congress, it does signal the president’s priorities for the year.

As states such as New York attempt to pass laws which allow individuals living in the country illegally to obtain drivers licenses and limit department of motor vehicle (DMV) cooperation with federal immigration services, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolfe, is responding by limiting the state’s access to certain DHS programs.

The Department of Justice has announced an indictment charging four individuals serving in the Chinese military with the Equifax breach that stole sensitive information from nearly 150 million Americans. The individuals hacked into the computer systems of the credit reporting agency Equifax, stealing Americans’ personal data and Equifax’s valuable trade secrets.

Insurance can be confusing. Especially in the Federal space, where there is a sea of abbreviations for your benefits packages: TSP, FEHB, FERS, FEGLI, WAEPA, and the list goes on. To help you make sense of your life insurance options, we’ve compiled answers to your top six questions about WAEPA.

Huey and I concluded our tour of New England in the state of Connecticut back in November.  Due to a series of circumstances, including a mechanical breakdown (the RV’s), a bout of poor health (mine), and being spoiled by his grandmother for the holidays (Huey), we took a short break from The Federal Fifty.  However, we are now on the road again visiting the Southeast and back to reporting on our adventures.

Tune in to FEDtalk this week to hear about the how agencies can utilize behavioral science to better lead their teams. Leaders in behavioral and organizational sciences will join the show to discuss how managers can increase employee engagement and productivity through behavioral insights.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has secured the denaturalization of a convicted terrorist who sought to help al Qaeda destroy the Brooklyn Bridge in 2003. Iyman Faris, a native of Pakistan, was convicted in 2003 of providing material support to al Qaeda and sentenced to 20 years in prison. On Monday, a District Court judge ordered the revocation of Faris’s naturalized U.S. citizenship.