A letter asks for details on agency RIF plans certifying positive effects on customer services. Image: Matt Gush/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffIn separate letters to the IRS and the SSA, more than 50 congressional Democrats have pressed for information on the impact of staffing cuts on customer service, saying to each that “at least some services are experiencing negative impacts” already.
“Unfortunately, the Department of Government Efficiency’s plans to slash the federal workforce will likely lead to fewer personnel available to support constituents, many of whom need time-sensitive assistance,” they said in similar letters to each agency. “Already, caseworkers in Congress have received bounce-back emails and no-replies from legislative liaison offices that were previously responsive to congressional inquiries.”
“Amidst this series of rapid layoff announcements, Congress has yet to receive access to real-time, authoritative data sources tracking separations from the federal workforce and their impacts,” they wrote.
The letters also pointed to language in the executive order telling agencies to prepare “Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans” that requires that any such plans in agencies that provide direct services to the public, such as Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ health care, must include a certification that the plan “will have a positive effect on the delivery of such services.”
They asked for copies of those plans and certifications and an explanation of “how the agency will measure any alleged positive effect,” among other information.
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See also,
Top 10 Provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill of Interest to Federal Employees
A Pre-RIF Checklist for Every Federal Employee, From a Federal Employment Attorney
Work Longer or Take the FERS Supplement Now: Which is Better?
Doubling Your TSP (C Fund vs G Fund)
