Federal Worker Fired After Hanging Trans Flag at Yosemite Sues Government
by
PEER | February 23, 2026
To determine whether an employee’s speech is protected, there is often a balancing test between an individual’s rights and disruption to agency operations. The speech also must be made in the employee’s capacity as a private citizen on a matter of public concern, which Joslin’s ...
White House Says Federal Workers’ Back Pay During Shutdown Isn’t Guaranteed
by
PEER | October 7, 2025
Vought had asked federal agencies to develop plans for layoffs during the shutdown beyond usual furloughs. Democrats and unions have questioned whether such layoffs would be legal, and they said the new threat regarding back pay wasn’t on firm ground. The OMB memo “is an effort for ...
Trump to Place at Least 100 EPA Environmental-Justice Workers on Leave
by
PEER | February 5, 2025
Employees on administrative leave are still on salary and get benefits. Federal agencies are only allowed to place employees on administrative leave for 10 days in a calendar year, according to Peter Jenkins, senior counsel at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. It is ...
EPA Standards Miss Many Chemicals in Drinking Water, Study Says
by
PEER | April 12, 2023
Authors of a new study say that the federal government is likely underestimating the extent of “forever chemicals” contamination in drinking water nationally. The Natural Resources Defense Council study illustrates a central challenge of regulating a group of hundreds of chemicals that ...
Biden Administration Seeks to Accelerate Cleanup of Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’
by
PEER | October 18, 2021
Environmental and public health groups on Monday approved of the Biden administration’s focus on the issue but criticized regulators for not moving quickly enough on forceful actions. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represents government employees in ...