The ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has asked OMB to disclose agency reform plans required under an OMB memo.

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland said the committee “has jurisdiction over both the federal workforce and proposed agency reorganizations, and the Trump administration is now in the midst of one of the largest reorganizations in decades with virtually no oversight by Congress. As members of this committee, we believe it is our job to analyze the administration’s plans to determine if, and to what extent, these massive reductions in staffing will impact the services the American people rely on every single day.”

An April OMB memo ending the administration’s general hiring freeze, imposed in January, told agencies to take “immediate actions to achieve near-term workforce reductions and cost saving” and to submit reorganization plans before October 1 as part of the 2019 budget planning cycle.

The memo anticipated that agencies could take some actions under their existing authority although others would require legislation–presumably to be proposed as part of the budget recommendation to be made to Congress in February. However, agencies and OMB have been essentially mum about the status of those plans, particularly regarding the impact on employees.

“The degradation of the federal workforce–particularly among those who dedicate their lives to protecting our national security, our environmental safety, and our health and wellness–should not occur in darkness,” Cummings wrote.

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