Joe Davidson

Washington, D.C.

Columnist focusing on federal government issues

Education: University of Michigan, master's in public policy; Oakland University, bachelor's in social science and education

Joe Davidson writes the Federal Insider, formerly the Federal Diary, a Washington Post column on the federal government. For 13 years he was a Washington and foreign correspondent with the Wall Street Journal. Before joining The Post as an assistant city editor in 2005, he was an editor with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. He is a founding board member of the National Association of Black Journalists and is in its Hall of Fame. At The Wall Street Journal, Davidson covered a broad range of domestic issues and agencies, including health, education and the Justice Department
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Latest from Joe Davidson

Can postal cops patrol street crime? USPS says no, but union says yes.

Street crimes against letter carriers, mailboxes soar, but USPS says it has no authority to deploy postal cops away from USPS facilities. That is in dispute.

June 8, 2023

Conservative Supreme Court hands down a rare pro-union decision

The opinion, written by archconservative justice Clarence Thomas, rebuffs the Ohio National Guard, which stopped voluntary payroll union dues collection.

June 2, 2023

As Washington dithers, ‘unsustainable long-term fiscal future’ looms

The debt limit debate highlights how the nation is on an "unsustainable" fiscal path, as detailed in a new report from the Government Accountability Office on deficits.

May 26, 2023

Postal thefts jump. Employees are both victims and criminals.

Thefts from letter carriers and postal facilities are surging this year. Poor management controls are among the reasons.

May 19, 2023

Public employees feted at a time when many suffer hostility and threats

Public employees at all levels are honored during this Public Service Recognition Week, but they remain under verbal and sometimes physical attack.

May 12, 2023

Uncle Sam lost $247 billion to improper payments in 2022, auditors say

About $200 billion in overpayments are included in a total of $247 billion in improper payments by federal agencies, the Government Accountability Office found.

April 28, 2023

Military recruitment lapses lead to ‘challenges to national security’

Recent Pentagon data indicates the Army and Navy have fallen well short of their recruitment goals this fiscal year, posing a threat to national security.

April 21, 2023

Federal union reaches accord with VA, but Social Security fight lingers

Despite the president's plan to be the “most pro-union president" in American history,” federal labor leaders said some major agencies don't follow his vision.

April 14, 2023

VA no longer uses Trump-era law allowing officials to fire feds faster

The Department of Veterans' Affairs stopped using a 2017 law that reduced civil service protections for employees because of numerous legal decisions against it.

April 7, 2023

Marshals Service uses go-between to dodge Biden’s private prison order

After President Biden ordered the Justice Department to stop using private prisons, the U.S. Marshals Service continued to do so by using a middleman.

March 31, 2023