It has been a challenging year for federal employees. Between DOGE-orchestrated layoffs and buyout offers, agency closures, return-to-office mandates, and a series of government shutdowns, the nation’s civil servants have faced unprecedented levels of stress.
The consequences of that stress have now been laid bare by a new survey that shows morale among federal workers has cratered.
The Public Service Viewpoint Survey, conducted by the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service late last year, asked approximately 10,000 federal agency employees about the state of their workplaces. The results, which were released last week: nearly six in 10 reported that their engagement had gotten worse since 2024. Only 7.5 percent believed that their agencies’ political leaders generated high levels of motivation. And less than a quarter feel confident that they could report potential violations of the law or regulations without facing retaliation.
Every agency saw dramatic reductions in their employee’s assessments of whether their agency was a good place to work; the Interior Department dropped from 76 percent to 20 percent in its employees’ measure of engagement and satisfaction.
It’s important to note that the changes in satisfaction from year to year are not directly comparable, since the 2025 survey had a much smaller response pool. But even that was a product of changes made by the current administration: last August, the Office of Personnel Management canceled the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, which the Partnership had used to derive its ratings of employee sentiment, even though federal agencies are statutorily required to survey their workforces and make the data public.
Even if the new survey measures a smaller sample of employees, it’s findings are stark. As one Education Department employee told the Partnership, “I’m a combat veteran and if I had to choose to relive this past year or go back to a combat zone, at this point, I think the combat zone would be a lot easier to deal with…”
What does this have to do with CRM? A successful and timely Section 106 process depends on a cadre of federal employees ready and able to fulfill the federal government’s obligations under the law. Federal cultural resources and historic preservation personnel are an indispensable partner to the CRM industry. ACRA has heard examples of Section 106 reviews being delayed because federal agency staff have resigned or been let go.
At a time when Congress is looking for ways to accelerate the permitting process, ACRA constantly reminds them that a depleted and demoralized federal workforce does not make the process any more efficient. Hopefully, this survey will prompt Congress to pay closer attention.
Nearly 100 House Members Back Increased HPF Funding
Nearly 100 members of Congress from both parties have signed onto a letter to the House Appropriations Committee urging it to provide $250 million for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) in the upcoming fiscal year, including funding for technology upgrades for S/THPOs.
The letter, spearheaded by House Preservation Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Theresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), states that a “meaningful investment in the HPF will protect and promote the places that tell the story of America as we commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.”
Funding for the HPF was a key priority for ACRA members and other preservation advocates during Preservation Advocacy Week earlier this month. Many thanks to those who responded to ACRA’s action alert to ask their House representatives to sign the bill.
In the coming weeks, Senate preservation champions will circulate a similar letter among their colleagues. Keep an eye out for an ACRA action alert to ask your Senators to demonstrate their support for preservation.
Army Corps Seeks Input on Permitting
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a request for input on “ways to increase the efficiency of the nationwide permit program [NWP]” under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.
Among other items, the Corps says they are seeking input on:
- measures to eliminate unnecessary review over activities that require Army authorization
- measures to increase permitting efficiency and efficiency in the review of pre-construction notifications
- categories of activities that are similar in nature
- whether any other revisions are needed to the existing regulations regarding the nationwide permit program or the implementation of the nationwide permit program.
According to the Corps, “This notice does not propose specific modifications to the NWPs. It is intended to develop a record to inform future reissuance or modifications to the NWPs. After considering the comments received, any decision to reissue, modify, or revoke the NWPs will occur after notice and opportunity for a public hearing” in accordance with the law and regulations.
The deadline for submitting comments to the Corps via https://regulations.gov is May 15, 2026.
Seeking Section 106 Successes – and Problems
As the ACHP continues to examine its 800 regulations, ACRA and its preservation partners are making the case that the vast majority of Section 106 reviews happen on time and without delay, and in many cases result in a better overall project.
ACRA wants to hear from you about examples of projects where the Section 106 consultative process led to positive outcomes, both for the underlying project and for the protection of historic properties.
We also want to hear about those reviews that did not work well, so we can better identify where some of the hiccups lie. This will enable ACRA to offer targeted solutions that address specific challenges without undermining the entire process.
If you have good case studies, please share them with us at info@acra-crm.org.