Author Archive

Adam Mazmanian

Executive Editor

Adam Mazmanian is executive editor of FCW.

Before joining the editing team, Mazmanian was an FCW staff writer covering Congress, government-wide technology policy and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to joining FCW, Mazmanian was technology correspondent for National Journal and served in a variety of editorial roles at B2B news service SmartBrief. Mazmanian has contributed reviews and articles to the Washington Post, the Washington City Paper, Newsday, New York Press, Architect Magazine and other publications.

Click here for previous articles by Mazmanian. Connect with him on Twitter at @thisismaz.

Biden chooses employment lawyer to lead MSPB

The Merit Systems Protection Board has been without Senate-confirmed leadership since March 2019 and without a quorum to decide appeals since January 2017.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

$1.5 trillion 2022 budget deal includes spending for civilian agencies

The administration is adding money to multiple tech modernization programs and removing the Overseas Contingency Account from the Defense Department request and folding in warfighting funds into the base budget.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

EPA eliminates Trump workforce orders

The Environmental Protection Agency rolled back the clock on portions of its collective bargaining agreement on official time, union office space, grievance procedures and more.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Lawmakers urge White House to fill MSPB slots

Appeals have been stalled at the Merit Systems Protection Board for more than four years, and leaders on the Government Operations subcommittee in the House want the White House to get moving on board nominations.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

VA plans review of $16B EHR program

New Veterans Affairs chief Denis McDonough announced a "strategic review" of the agency's Electronic Health Record Modernization program of up to 12 weeks.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Biden signs Rescue bill adding pandemic leave for feds

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law on Thursday. In addition to a massive influx of funding to support Americans harmed by the economic fallout of the pandemic, there is funding available for IT modernization and provision to help the federal workforce cope with COVID-19.

  • By Adam Mazmanian, Justin Katz and Natalie Alms

Schedule F Workforce orders included in funding bill

Democrats in the House and Senate urged appropriators to include a measure blocking the implementation of a workforce executive order making it possible to reclassify thousands of senior civil servants as "at will" employees, making it easier to hire and fire feds in certain key positions.

  • By Adam Mazmanian and Natalie Alms

Lawmakers press Trump to sign NDAA in the wake of massive hack

The annual defense bill includes a section on cybersecurity based on recommendations from the Solarium Commission.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

GSA releases transition funds to Biden

More than two weeks after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election by the Associated Press, the General Services Administration is releasing $7.3 million in transition funding and making other resources available to the president-elect's team.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

VA reports smooth electronic health record system transition

The performance of infrastructure, end-user devices exceeded agency expectations on the VA's first go-live on its new electronic health record system.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

No pay hike for feds in Senate funding bill

Congress is looking to pass a full slate of appropriations bills for fiscal year 2021 instead of a stopgap continuing resolution by Dec. 11, when the current temporary funding bill expires.

  • By Adam Mazmanian
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Groups complain about diversity training crackdown

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce led a nationwide coalition of trade associations and business groups in a letter opposing the Trump administration's executive order on diversity and inclusion training.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Feds' health premiums to rise in 2021

The coronavirus pandemic was a driver in keeping premium hikes lower than otherwise would have been the case, according to an OPM official.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Tech groups react to diversity training executive order

The pushback comes as the Labor Department tries to explain what the memo does and does not allow with regard to diversity training.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Is the end of My HealtheVet near?

The My HealtheVet tool used by more than 3 million veterans to access care at the Department of Veterans Affairs could be retired in favor of a tool from vendor Cerner as part of the agency's $16 billion electronic health record software upgrade.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Trump defends decision to end diversity training

At the first presidential debate, Donald Trump said that he had ordered trainings on race and gender sensitivity training canceled because the curriculum is "racist". His opponent countered saying, "he's the racist."

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Stopgap spending bill passes

The current appropriations bills are set to expire on Oct. 1; the bill now goes to the Senate where it is expected to pass.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

VA taps CARES Act funds for IT

The Veterans Benefits Administration at the Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to reprogram about $250 million in COVID-19 emergency funding to modernize its troubled education benefits system.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

OPM nominee spared major criticisms

John Gibbs, the HUD official selected to lead the Office of Personnel Management, wasn't pressed by lawmakers on a history of controversial tweets of conspiracy theories and calling the Democrats the party of Islam.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Long-delayed FEVS coming next week

The long-delayed Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey will kick off on Sept. 14.

  • By Adam Mazmanian