Author Archive
Eric Katz
Senior Correspondent
Eric Katz writes about federal agency operations and management. His deep coverage of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Postal Service has earned him frequent guest spots on national radio and television news programs. Eric joined Government Executive in the summer of 2012 and previously worked for The Financial Times. He is a graduate of The George Washington University.
Eric Katz writes about federal agency operations and management. His deep coverage of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Postal Service has earned him frequent guest spots on national radio and television news programs. Eric joined Government Executive in the summer of 2012 and previously worked for The Financial Times. He is a graduate of The George Washington University.
Workforce
CDC has shed one-quarter of staff even as it recalls some laid off workers
Agency tells court that states are not suffering "irreparable harm" from cuts even as agency leaders lament "operational disruptions" and "loss of expertise and capacity."
- Eric Katz
Breaking News
Workforce
Trump administration resumes layoffs, targeting National Archives staff
Employees warn of impacts at presidential libraries and on records retrieval.
- Eric Katz
Breaking News
Workforce
Judge blocks State Department layoffs
The Trump administration has sought special dispensation to imminently cut staff at State, but employees won a—potentially short-lived—reprieve.
- Eric Katz
Updated
Management
Feds from IRS agents to refugee officers are deploying to assist ICE conduct raids
President Trump is tapping unusual parts of the government immigration enforcement, and offering unprecedented roles.
- Eric Katz
Tech
Job cuts could throw a wrench in the IRS’s plan to modernize
Agency leaders say they want to complete the “vast majority” of its modernization efforts within the next couple of years.
- Eric Katz and Natalie Alms
Management
Forest chief says losing 5,000 employees won’t impact fire season response. Many federal firefighters disagree
USFS says it’s ready for fire season after asking separated employees to come back, but employees say the losses have been "crippling."
- Eric Katz
Exclusive
Workforce
VA signs $700K agreement with OPM for assistance with mass layoffs
The department lacks expertise for such a large reduction, it says, and RIF planners confirm VA leadership is not offering clear guidance.
- Eric Katz
Workforce
NASA renews its push to slash its workforce
The agency would give employees accepting deferred resignations an extended deadline to collect pay while not working.
- Eric Katz
Workforce
Agencies ready to move quickly on RIFs if court block falls
Across government, behind-the-scenes preparations for layoffs have taken place or are ongoing.
- Eric Katz
Management
Vought calls for more OMB staff after spearheading governmentwide cuts
Architect of Trump’s government overhaul says he does not want to "traumatize" feds and some agencies have staff "doing incredible work."
- Eric Katz
Workforce
State Department ‘appears’ to be violating court order by issuing layoffs as soon as June 13, judge says
The Trump administration says it has paused planned RIFs at 17 agencies, but State is “a special case.”
- Eric Katz
Workforce
Trump is planning to slash 107,000 federal jobs next year. See where
New details in the president's budget detail some of the proposed workforce reductions, though the final cuts will likely be steeper.
- Eric Katz
Management
Appeals panel leaves layoff injunction in place as Trump's RIF plans likely head to Supreme Court
Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits, the majority on the appellate court ruled.
- Eric Katz
Oversight
White House says it will cooperate with top watchdog only when it does not ‘unduly burden’ Trump’s agenda
The Trump administration is elevating its feud with the Government Accountability Office, which recently found the administration is violating federal spending laws.
- Eric Katz
Management
Here's where the State Department is planning its layoffs and changes
Various national security offices, as well as units that cover Asia and the Middle East, will be consolidated or slashed. Thousands of employees across divisions are targeted for cuts.
- Eric Katz and David DiMolfetta
Management
Trump administration begins cracking down on federal employees' use of leave for voting
Agencies have begun notifying employees they can no longer take administrative leave for election-related activities.
- Eric Katz
Workforce
Appeals board creates new path to renew reversals of probationary firings
At least some fired feds can pursue their case through a class action, administrative judge says.
- Eric Katz
Workforce
Most major agencies are now indefinitely barred from issuing mass layoffs
The Trump administration's plans to reorganize agencies are "likely unconstitutional," judge says.
- Eric Katz
Breaking News
Oversight
Supreme Court allows Trump to fire federal employee appeals board members at will
In dissenting opinion, justices say the decision will provide Trump the most subservient executive branch “maybe ever.”
- Eric Katz
Management
Judge says she is inclined to further pause layoffs at most major agencies
RIF plans have been frozen for two weeks, but federal court suggests they are unconstitutional and implementation will remain prohibited indefinitely.
- Eric Katz