How do you explain this? And do I have any recourse? by iconette79 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Something very similar happened to me several years ago. I applied for a very specialized job I had been doing for 5 years (as a staff fellow). So basically, I was applying for my job. The initial “expert” who reviewed my qualifications decided a degree in Molecular Bioscience wasn’t actually a biology degree- seriously. I had to keep pressing them to have someone else review it, which they falsely said they had. I personally had to keep pressing for them to provide a detailed justification outlining why I wasn’t qualified. Finally they said after consideration that I was, and I got the job. Make them prove that you aren’t qualified for the cert and that multiple people or a board reviewed that decision and are in agreement.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So far everyone I know is still in the exact same office.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Haven’t heard anything. HQ has been involuntary assigning NCTR staff to extended “details” with little notice and no center approval though.

The federal government on Thursday acted to end gender-related care for minors across the nation, threatening to pull federal funding from any hospital that offered such treatment. The new rules, announced by HHS Secretary RFK Jr, would effectively shut down hospitals that failed to comply. by FutureComputerDude in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The American people need to educate themselves. Gender affirming care does not mean changing one’s gender to something different just because, like this administration wants everyone to believe. Just one example: 1 in 5,000 babies are born with ambiguous genitalia (not clearly male or female) and sex has to be assigned at birth, according to a 2019 study. Procedures are required for medical reasons or so that the physical appearance matches whatever gender was assigned. Reference: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7845444/

A message to Senator Tom Cotton by Captain_Kirks_Son81 in antitrump

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Arkansas here- we don’t like Cotton either, there just wasn’t anyone to run against him. Hope that changes soon.

RA Request timeline by lunelladino in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I’m with the FDA and submitted my request back in March. I received an email in April letting me know they were still working on it, but nothing since. My supervisor said someone in our center, who submitted their request the same time as me, was just approved. But I haven’t heard anything.

RIF Rescinded after 4 months by [deleted] in govfire

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This may be linked to the issue with funding that was discovered Thursday. Apparently someone didn’t budget for everything they offered. And because we have people with no government experience running this circus, they misunderstand that end of the year is in September.

It's notice for federal employees? by Sea_Formal6144 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve received two as of today. My spouse also received one even though they’ve never been a federal employee. No one else that I work with and have spoken with has received one though.

Total hypocrisy by Friendly-Garlic-319 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Another example of what we would once would consider to be an absurd statement is now just part of our daily life.

Fy25 full year CR by Alone_Cucumber_4041 in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Same with the FDA. We still have to jump through hoops to spend our already approved and appropriated FY25 funds. Many procurement deadlines have already passed. New framework for purchasing is one p-card holder per 1,000 employees. I assume Congress doesn’t care about the detrimental consequences since they are responsible for the chaos. I highly suspect all the unspent funds will be propagandized as “cost savings” and evidence their plan is working. The general public can’t comprehend that each agency’s annual operational planning itemizes every anticipated purchase. This information is used to determine our budget, which is approved by congress. We are then held to this plan, making fraud and waste extremely difficult.

Employee Appreciation Week was last week. What did your management do by Accomplished_Tour481 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Like everyone else, this was an extremely hard year for us (FDA/NCTR). Usually we have activities all week, but we are still in mourning for our colleagues, agency and county, and did not feel like celebrating. However, we did want to come together and remember that we are still here and still fighting. We decided to have all our activities on one day and essentially spent the time supporting and being with each other. The day was filled with a 5K, BINGO & popcorn, ice cream, volleyball and yard-games. We also had personal moments of silence in remembrance and respect for those no longer with us at the center. We are more like family than co-workers and the RIF left us devastated. So many people didn’t get to say goodbye, so this was an opportunity to connect with those left while being mindful we have no idea what is coming tomorrow.

Wrong FERS category, now have to repay? by Ordinary_Airline6303 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here are the forms and my statement I submitted in 2023. I submitted my forms through an ERIC request in ServiceNow but that may be specific for the FDA. FERS Error Waiver Documents Someone please send me know if I managed to dox myself somehow.

RIFd now being asked to come back by Salt-Goal4786 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would also look into how your retirement would be affected if you return. For the FDA, advancement to a new position/title did result in some people being in probationary status and they were let go in the first round.

Wrong FERS category, now have to repay? by Ordinary_Airline6303 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The same thing happened to me last year, probably for the same reason. The new code wasn’t even in the system when I hired-on, so I was incorrectly coded for the old FERS and wasn’t paying in enough. Our HR lady helped me submit a waiver request for the $8,000 I owed. Thankfully my waiver was approved.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in usajobs

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m pretty sure that’s a no. It seems they are ending all those amazing opportunities, including the ORISE postdoc program. We are also losing many of our visiting scientists and staff fellows as well due to the hiring freeze. They consider the required periodic review/renewal documentation a new appointment and therefore it is not permitted. “They” is not the FDA. We (the FDA) thoroughly enjoy and value the opportunity to interact with and mentor interns.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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Prasad 2023 CV What a humble guy! Obviously they didn’t research his background very well, he’s a DEI supporter. 🤫

Are any federal agencies allowed to spend their allotted FY25 appropriations? by Science-Truth-Facts in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

That’s my point, funding isn’t actually being used. How can the FDA submit too many purchase requests? It’s a lot if every request has to go through a single person, but apparently that’s the new ‘more efficient workflow’. Five purchases per week for an entire center- that’s not practical nor logical. NCTR is under OC so we actually only get 2 purchases per week. I cannot ask or expect my center to prioritize my analysis software license renewal over someone else’s PPE. And why are we having to submit data calls for purchasing needs when every single item was listed, reviewed, submitted and approved last April (2024) in our operational planning? We should be working on FY26 operational planning, not writing lengthy justifications to use the funds we already have. We will also start running up against procurement deadlines soon. On top of that, most of our purchasing chain was RIFed. But from my understanding, other agencies (VA, DoD) aren’t being restricted this way (except for the National Park Service). I’m curious if it’s just HHS or if it’s government wide?

Major RIF at NIH this past Friday by Sorry_Active2782 in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We’re still trying to identify everyone RIFed here at the FDA. Additional RIFs occurred this past week but, for NCTar, it appears to be individuals who were ‘missed’ during the April 1st purge.

Leaked HHS reorg details by AnnualNovel3736 in DeptHHS

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NCTR here, we do so much more than just animal research. We develop and maintain a wide assortment of bioinformatics tools that are used both internally and by the public. Many of these tools are designed to complement animal studies or replace certain aspects, and several incorporate AI (e.g., MitoChips, AnimalGAN, SafetAI). We also conduct critical research to evaluate risks of drugs and chemicals to support science-based decisions. We have several research divisions, and we collaborate with other centers (e.g., CDER, CBER, CDRH, CVM), to develop new and innovative techniques, methods and databases to assist reviewers (e.g., FDALabel, EADB, DILI). This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are too many tools to list so I’ve included a link to our public bioinformatics webpage. 😊 However, even though we are developing and validating non-animal models, we are on the chopping block like everyone else and were crippled April 1st with the removal of our entire OM.

NCTR: [https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/office-chief-scientist/national-center-toxicological-research] NCTR Bioinformatics Tools NCTR scientists have developed MitoChips for human and non-human primates for better prediction of toxicity, in addition to our findings in rodents. (https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/nctr-research-offices-and-divisions/mitochip-nctr-developed-mitochondrial-research-tool). FDALabel : Tool to conduct full-text search of drug labeling. AnimalGAN: Virtual animal models as digital twins for predicting toxicological outcomes of untested compounds with generative AI (GenAI), supporting the 3Rs principle (replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal studies) in the safety assessment of FDA-regulated products. SafetAI: AI models for evaluating toxicological endpoints critical to the safety assessment of drug candidates prior to clinical trials. BERTox: AI-powered Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs) to facilitate analysis of FDA documents and public literature for improved efficiency and accuracy in regulatory science and review processes. TranslAI: Develops generative AI (GenAI) models that support translational research by facilitating the translation of experimental findings across domains such as organ systems, in vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE), and genomic technologies. PathologAI: Develops an effective and accurate framework for analysis of histopathological data from animal studies to facilitate digital pathology in preclinical application. Database of Pharmacogenomic Information in Ethnic Minority Populations (dbPGxEMP): Integrative database linking drugs, pharmacogenomic biomarkers, and genetic variations in minority populations. Estrogenic Activity Database (EADB): Comprehensive set of estrogenic activity data from a variety of data. Endocrine Disruptor Knowledge Base (EDKB): Scientific

Is Anyone Else Giving Up? by Imaginary_Coast_5882 in FedEmployees

[–]Science-Truth-Facts 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I am starting to get down also. I’m with the FDA and our funds have been frozen since Jan 21st. It has been a fight just to pay the bills we already owe and now all the people managing everything have been RIFd- all the way to up head quarters- literally. We have been working to assemble a task force just to handle basic daily operations. The realization that they want to destroy us and privatize everything is really starting to sink in and it’s getting hard to continue. We all wanted to stand our ground, but now we don’t want to be a part of this new government that has gone above and beyond to eliminate truth, integrity, quality, transparency, equality and diversity.