About this episode

The episode discusses major updates affecting federal employees, including health benefits, rising premiums, and legislative changes.

Major updates include strict new eligibility verification requirements for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, set to begin July 1, and a looming audit to remove ineligible dependents. Rising health insurance premiums are straining both active and retired employees, with many survivors now facing “negative net annuities,” in which pension payments don’t cover health insurance premiums. Ongoing processing delays at the Office of Personnel Management continue to impact retirees. Congress debates the Jawbone Act to prevent government-imposed online censorship, while federal worker unions challenge politically charged hiring questions on USAJobs.gov. Facility relocations—NSF and HUD—are delayed and over budget, exacerbating workforce stress. The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act is criticized for eroding union protections and reducing disability benefits, while the Major Richard Starr Act seeks to expand military retiree benefits. Additional highlights include cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, new rapid VA hiring policies, and legislative moves to restore collective bargaining at the Department of Defense. Lawrence emphasizes the importance of…

People in this episode

Host: Dave Faulk

Topics covered

• Federal employee health benefits
• health insurance premiums
• negative net annuities
• government censorship
• union protections
• military retiree benefits
• workforce stress

Keywords

• Federal Employees Health Benefits Program
• health insurance
• negative net annuities
• Jawbone Act
• Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
• military retiree benefits
• union protections
• workforce stress

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Office of Personnel Management, Congress, USAJobs.gov, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Defense

More episodes of The FED Weekly

• The FED Weekly 12-18 Jul 2026 (Episode 59) · July 19, 2026 · 17 min
• The FED Weekly 5-11 Jul 2026 (Episode 58) · July 12, 2026 · 20 min
• The FED Weekly 28 Jun - 4 Jul 2026 (Episode 57) · July 5, 2026 · 20 min
• The FED Weekly 21-27 Jun 2026 (Episode 56) · June 28, 2026 · 16 min
• The FED Weekly 7-13 Jun 2026 (Episode 54) · June 14, 2026 · 26 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The FED Weekly podcast page.