Fedweek

House GOP lawmakers now control the bills that are considered in the committee level and those that emerge from committees for floor voting. Image: DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock.com

The new Congress has convened, less than two weeks after the prior Congress ended its session, although with Republican control of the House set to make an important difference for issues of importance to federal employees and retirees.

That majority gives the GOP not only the upper hand in floor votes that split along party lines—as so many now do—but also in controlling the bills that are considered in the committee level and those that emerge from committees for floor voting.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., will take over the Oversight and Reform Committee—which Republicans intend to rename the Oversight and Accountability Committee—while Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland will be the ranking Democrat; Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, who chaired the committee in the prior Congress, lost her seat in the primaries.

The chairmanship of the main subcommittee handling federal employee issues, the government operations panel, is undecided; former ranking Republican Jody Hice of Georgia is not in the new Congress since he lost in the primaries while running for another office. Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, the former chairman, likely will become the ranking Democrat.

Comer has not defined an agenda on issues directly impacting federal employees and retirees and the absence of Hice—who ran for another office and lost in the primaries—adds to the uncertainty. Hice had been the main advocate in Congress of Trump administration policies—all of which President Biden revoked—on union and disciplinary policies and on creation of an excepted service Schedule F for career positions involved with policy matters.

In the recently concluded Congress the potential of a future GOP White House reviving Schedule F—which no agencies put in place during the few months it existed—became a main focus for Democrats, who sought to change the law to prevent it. However, that effort fell short as the needed language was not included in either of the two last major bills of that Congress, the defense budget and a wrapup spending bill.

Sponsors have said they will keep trying, but their chances are much reduced now. Democrats also likely will try again on proposals such as expanding bargaining rights at the VA, moving the TSA into the standard Title 5 body of personnel laws, but after falling short when they controlled the House their chances will similarly be much reduced.

However, a renewed Republican effort to put Schedule F and other Trump-era policies into law, as Hice attempted, almost certainly would not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate and would face a veto from the Biden White House even if it did.

The Republican emphasis on limiting federal spending could have effects on agency budgets, affecting employment prospects, as well as on employee and retiree benefits (see related story). Also likely ahead will be a focus on customer service at agencies such as the IRS, VA and SSA, with an emphasis on the impact of the higher levels of offsite work now three years after the Coronavirus pandemic broke out.

On the Senate side, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., will remain chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky set to become ranking Republican following the retirement of Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio.

Early House Actions to Reflect GOP Focus on Spending

House Republicans Move to Revive Rule for Targeting Individual Federal Employees

January Raise Finalized, Will Range from 4.37 to 5.15 Percent

Spending Bill Allows 4.6 Percent Raise; Doesn’t Prevent a Future Schedule F

Most Expansion of GS Localities Put Off Until 2024; 2023 Raises Announced

See also,

OPM Describes Impact of Raise on Differing Categories of Employees

Oversight of Federal Employment, Retirement Issues Ahead

The TSP 2022 Website and Unresolved Issues

The Process of Retiring: Check Your Agency’s Work

Early Marker for 2024 Raise Set: 5.2 Percent

Retiring from a Federal Career: Prepare to Wait

2023 Federal Employees Handbook