The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has set a hearing for tomorrow (Wednesday) on applying the lessons learned from past agency reorganization efforts to the Trump administration’s efforts. By the end of this month, agencies are to submit final versions of their agency reform plans under the April OMB memo that among other things lifted the general hiring freeze that President Trump imposed just after taking office.
The hearing is to examine “the successes and failures of past reorganization efforts,” and “the most effective means by which OMB can successfully pursue this reorganization by including Congress and the greater public in its development and eventual implementation,” according to the committee. Witnesses will include representatives of an HR consulting practice, conservative think tanks and the NTEU union.
In the April memo, agencies were told to focus on how to eliminate activities; restructure or merge functions; improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness; and better manage their workforces.
Some of those steps could be carried out administratively although others will require action by Congress; the memo indicated that a comprehensive proposal will be part of the administration’s budget submission early in 2018 for the fiscal 2019 budget.
