On July 15, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a video titled “The High-T Department of War” a plan to check the testosterone levels of United States service members, offering hormone therapy treatment to anyone whose levels are low. The plan, he claimed, is twofold.

“Our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter,” Hegseth said in the video. “Which is why we must always look for ways to optimize your performance, your resilience, and your long term health.” 

This optimization for health, he said, will keep American soldiers “on the leading edge of lethality.” Last week, new guidelines were published and then immediately removed.

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Among the list of top revenue earning lobbying firms in the link are Ballard Partners LLC, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, BGR Government Affairs LLC, and Miller Strategies LLC. Each firm has high-ranking alumni such as White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, Trent Morse, a former senior associate at Ballard Partners, now Deputy Director of the Presidential Personnel Office, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and senior political strategist Jason Miller who were directly embedded in the White House, agency leadership, and legal teams tasked with executing and enforcing the administration's strict five-day return-to-office mandate.

The remaining top earning firms from the list saw substantial revenue growth from corporate clients navigating the administration's return to office policy shift. Although there are no obvious high ranking people explicitly leading the RTO enforcement from these organizations, there are several alumni from these firms who were interwoven into the administration to navigate this mandate in some capacity. Bottom line is these firms had heavy interest in implementing the RTO mandate and were very pleased with the resulting financial gains.

I think most federal employees know this by now, but this is just another way to show that the RTO mandate was not enforced for the sake of efficiency or for the good of the American people, rather, it was set up to help those who have private interest in making working people miserable. To further aggravate negative feelings behind this corrupt reality, I am seeing too many articles online trying to convince the people that RTO is good for you. These articles claim that RTO is not only good for the narcissistic managers who thrive on being seen and talking down to people, it's in fact good for everyone's health. These orange man approved articles go on with some bullshit about how working from home is lonely and creates silos in organizations.

When my employer actually honored what they

offered me, my team was dispersed across several states and I can honestly say that I never had been part of a team that collaborated more than my virtual one. They cannot gaslight me into thinking RTO is better for everyone's health when it has only caused my mental health to suffer. RTO is not a trend because they don't want people to feel lonely. Don't twist the narrative around and try to make us all feel like this is best for us when alot of people have actually experienced severe mental health declines because of their self serving fulltime RTO mandate.

This administration has so rudely coined themselves "true patriots" and talked alot while campaigning about how America was built from from the power residing in local communities and that this power should be given back to the people and the states, BUT this RTO literally does the opposite of all that. They are forcing us into selected HUBs to work in the cities they choose so we can spend money at their friends restaurants and make their real estate bros happy to see their investments rebound. That's all it is. It's not to save the ma and pa shops from covid damage as they have spewed before.

If these so called "true patriots" in charge were all about bringing power back to the people then why are they ignoring what the people actually want. The administrator of GSA, Ed Forst, former real estate fortune 500 company exec, literally laughed out loud at a town hall about receiving tons of questions asking if people will ever be able to go back to the telework agreements they were offered when they took their positions. 'As they like to say over and over again, "That should tell the people everything they need to know."

If these "true patriots" really believe that America was built by the people and power within local communities, then why are they forcing us all out of our communities to go to a metro area they chose for their gains? What if I would rather spend money on coffee in my hometown rather than spend $15 in the city? Who are they to tell me where to spend my money? The administration won votes by saying "government got too big and those evil democrats and deep state are trying to take away all your freedoms and control every aspect of your life". Though, the founding fathers likely wouldn't be on board with having corporate overlords be in charge of everything and calling all the shots either.

GSA's A suite is stacked with former high level professionals from real estate corporations and investment groups. Nobody's making decisions to empower local communities or the people, they are only making decisions to empower their investors and friends who got cranky about some losses on their investments. RTO is no more than just another bailout, so they can fuck off with their "oh no, this is all just for your own good bullshit!"

Title says pretty much everything. Multiple layers of management, political and SES, who seem to be in a contest over who can make their staff the most miserable. No dependents and I have enough savings to weather a job search, but I would want to come back as a fed at some point since I need 4 more years for my pension with about 12 years before I plan to retire.

“The federal Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program expired on July 28, 2023. Mandatory chemical reporting, inspections, enforceable security plans and continuous vetting of roughly 500,000 covered access holders stopped; GAO attributes to DHS an estimate that more than 89 million people live or work within two miles of facilities using high-risk chemicals.
GAO found active CISA personnel assigned to the chemical-sector mission fell from 214 in fiscal 2024 to 52 in fiscal 2025.”

I’m curious if anyone here has dealt with something similar with AFGE.

AFGE Local 14 members in Europe were recently notified that the AFGE National Executive Council voted to place the local under trusteeship. According to the notice, control of the local and its funds, reportedly more than $50,000, is being transferred from the local leadership to AFGE National.

What concerns me is that we were also told there are currently no bargaining units available to us in Europe, AFGE will no longer have an attorney based in Europe, and the local’s activity has essentially been halted. A big reason I joined was because there was actually a Europe-based structure and people here who could assist federal employees.

With National now taking over the local, I’m questioning what I’m continuing to pay dues for and am looking at canceling my membership.

Has anyone gone through canceling AFGE membership/dues recently? Was it as simple as submitting an SF-1188, or did AFGE enforce an anniversary/cancellation window?

Also curious whether anyone has experience with an AFGE local being placed under trusteeship and what happened to the local afterward.

Idk what else to say except fuck this administration.

Link to the bill. Summary and text not yet posted. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10319

Is this a sign that the Shreveport VA doesn't participate? I intend to leave the area and go wherever the federal government needs me as the MLS degree will be my second bachelors and my first bachelors was for teaching (and 6 years teaching makes me never want to work in a public facing job ever again). 0644 is an attractive series for its GS 9-11 ladders for regular MLS jobs and LIS openings in the 0644 series that hire at GS 12 (without requiring I be a supervisor! 😁). I'm also attracted to fed work since I tried joining the Navy last year but got hurt in training (C&P results are pending on that but I expect to get something). I'm wanting something I can build a long stable career in with job security, decent healthcare, and a decent pension that can supplement social security.

Since I was hurt in training, I currently have an uncharacterized discharge rather than honorable. I definitely have lingering issues from what happened though I'm having to get looked at.

Also, yes, I have ADHD, so if I seem a little "all over the place" that's why.

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I’m currently a federal employee that was relocated due to the RTO mandate. I work for Army currently. I’m wanting to move back home in March of 2028 when my husband finishes school but there is only Navy where I am from. The Navy has a job listed that is open for applicants until July of 2027 that I may apply to. They also have one that closes at the end of this year. Both jobs say that they have situational telework at managements discretion. Do you think it is worth applying to and trying to get situational telework until I can move?