Details emerge on revisions to paid administrative leave regulations

• More details are emerging on the Trump administration’s revisions to paid administrative leave. Agencies’ ability to pay employees not to work during workforce reduction efforts has been formalized. Paid leave will also be allowed during reduction-in-force notice periods, the Office of Personnel Management said. OPM’s latest guidance comes after it finalized regulations to conform with the rules for the deferred resignation program. OPM is expected to soon update other online resources to reflect the new regulations. -- Drew Friedman
• The White House is following a court's order when it comes to reduction-in-force policies. The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management have formally rescinded two memos calling for reductions in force during shutdowns. The Trump administration agreed to terminate the two memos as part of its settlement in September to end a lawsuit by a coalition of federal employee unions including the American Federation of Government Employees, National Federation of Federal Employees and National Treasury Employees Union. Along with the removing the two memos, the Trump administration agreed to rescind every RIF notice issued during the 2026 shutdown and reinstate employees with back pay from the State Department, General Services Administration and Small Business Administration. Additionally, agencies must remove from their shutdown contingency plans any language authorizing RIFs, or RIF work, during a lapse in appropriations, unless a statute expressly permits it. -- Jason Miller
• A new strategy from the Agriculture Department is directing agencies to identify ways to expand access to American seafood across procurement programs. The strategy instructs agencies to identify and eliminate all procurement and administrative barriers that prevent American processors from competing for federal food procurement contracts. Another part of the strategy calls on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, Customs and Border Protection and USDA to establish a joint interagency task force. The group will address foreign seafood imports that enter the country through mislabeling or country-of-origin fraud. -- Silvia Oakland
• So-called “TSP millionaires” finished fiscal 2026 strong. More than 224,000 Thrift Savings Plan participants closed out the fiscal year with an account balance above $1 million. It’s just below the record for the number of TSP millionaires, which was reached in the third quarter of fiscal 2026. On average, TSP millionaires have been contributing to their accounts for about 27 years. -- Drew Friedman
• The Army’s platform that allows vendors to get their software reviewed, accredited and deployed into Army environments more quickly is now live. Project Gatekeeper gives vendors the ability to provide their software and receive real-time feedback on vulnerabilities, compliance issues and other risks before bringing it onto the Army’s secure networks. Companies will need their Common Access Cards to log in until the Army completes its Login.gov integration. -- Anastasia Obis
• The Army's Strategic Capital Initiative is still going full bore despite being launched by former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. Marc Andersen, who manages Army finances, said the initiative, which aims to attract industry to co-invest in the service’s infrastructure, is “not slowing down” under new leadership. In fact, the service plans to expand the program across its installations over the next three to five years. Andersen said industry should anticipate another round of requests for information soon. Driscoll resigned as secretary in September. -- Anastasia Obis
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking feedback on a high-level cybersecurity handbook for public- and private-sector leaders. The initial public draft of the Information Security Handbook: A Guide for Executive Leadership, or SP 800-100, is restructured to align more with NIST's Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 and other related frameworks. The draft includes risk management fundamentals and continuous monitoring strategies. SP 800-100 was last updated in 2006, and in 2024 NIST put out a call for pre-draft comments. The public comment review period is open until Dec. 4. -- Silvia Oakland
• General Dynamics Information Technology, or GDIT, has a new president. Amy Johnson takes over the top spot starting Nov. 3. She replaces Amy Gilliland, who left earlier this month after 17 years in the role. Johnson comes to GDIT after spending 27 years with General Dynamics Mission Systems, where she held senior roles in engineering, engineering management and business leadership across cybersecurity, defense electronics, space and intelligence systems. Most recently, Johnson was vice president and general manager for space, cyber and intelligence for the past two-plus years. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and computer systems engineering. -- Jason Miller

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