The chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has asked the National Weather Service for an accounting of employees who leave and then come back as contractors, following an IG report that said such a revolving door pattern may be a “routine and troubling practice” at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“While the motivation for rehiring recently retired employees as contractors may be to avoid losing the expertise of senior staff,” the IG report showed “apparent disregard for unambiguous federal hiring and contracting rules,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said in a letter to the NWS.
“In order to maintain the integrity of the agency, NOAA officials must avoid conflicts of interest and adhere to and enforce federal hiring and contracting rules. When transgressions occur, the agency must also hold the responsible officials accountable,” he wrote.
He asked for data on the total number of full-time and contractor employees at NWS over the last three years; the five most common positions that contract employees fill there; what percentage of contract employees previously worked as agency employees; the average salaries of contractor vs. in-house employees with similar job responsibilities; the process for filling contract positions and for approving former employees to return as contractors; and more.
