About this episode

This episode recaps key developments affecting federal employees and retirees for the week of June 28 to July 4, 2026.

We recap key developments for federal employees and retirees for the week of June 28 to July 4, 2026. Major regulatory changes include a new OPM rule implementing stricter verification for family member eligibility in health benefits, projected to save millions by curbing improper payments. President Trump signed an executive order mandating the shift to post-quantum cryptography for federal systems, protecting sensitive personnel and retirement data. The Supreme Court reshaped independent agency leadership, removing job protections for most but preserving them for the Federal Reserve. A controversial proposed NDA for federal employees sparks public and legislative opposition, while paper-based retirement applications are phased out in favor of digital processing, aiming for faster pension payments. Retirees face ongoing FERS disability retirement delays, complicated by OPM’s requirements for physical ink signatures and non-automated dental/vision deductions during interim payments. For current employees, proposed rule changes streamline accountability and expand OPM’s authority to remove unsuitable workers and enact government-wide debarments. Recruitment initiatives tighten…

People in this episode

Host: Dave Faulk

Topics covered

• federal employee benefits
• regulatory changes
• health benefits eligibility
• cryptography in federal systems
• retirement processing
• job security
• policy shifts

Keywords

• federal employees
• retirees
• health benefits
• post-quantum cryptography
• Supreme Court
• NDA
• digital processing
• FERS disability retirement
• OPM

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: OPM, Federal Reserve, FERS

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 21-27 Jun 2026 (Episode 56) · June 28, 2026 · 16 min
• The FED Weekly 14-20 Jun 2026 (Episode 55) · June 21, 2026 · 20 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.