Can you help me understand the Federal Hiring Process?

The two letters are not the same. One said that you are superior qualified; the other said that you were referred to the electing official. Many people who are qualified are NOT referred to the selecting official. The reason for the delay is that it's probable that several hundred people applied for the position, and a person has to go through every application to verify what they answered on the occupational questionnaire. Some people exaggerate their experience on the questionnaire and their r�sum�s do not support their answers. The timelines are not atypical, and indeed, the lack of a ratified federal budget has probably brought a screeching halt to the process. It's possible that you may be scheduled for an interview and even selected for a position and equally possible that you will not actually be offered that position until the budget is signed. Or the hiring official may decide not even to go ahead with interviews until he/she can actually hire someone. So you're likely in a waiting game at this point.