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By: FEDweek StaffThe top Democrats on two key Senate committees have signaled their skepticism about the administration’s plan to break up OPM, widening the resistance to that plan that so far has come mainly from the House.
In a letter to OPM, Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Patty Murray of Washington—ranking Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee—expressed the same concerns about the need for changes and about the administration’s argument that the breakup needs to occur with the start of the new fiscal year in October due to the loss of revenue to OPM from transferring to DoD the conduct of background investigations, for which requesting agencies pay fees.
The final steps would be to transfer to the GSA responsibility for running benefits programs and providing personnel services to other agencies, while moving its policy-making role into the OMB. The latter is the main point of contention, raising concerns about politicizing civil service policies.
“Despite months of congressional requests, the administration has failed to provide evidence that a proposed merger would save taxpayer dollars or benefit the civil service,” it says. “OPM also has been unable to provide any evidence that a merger, even if completed in FY 2020, would have any impact on this budget gap. Any reorganization of major governmental functions—particularly functions that impact millions of federal employees, retirees and their families—must be undertaken carefully and methodically, not rushed in response to an arbitrary and unrelated deadline.”
They further said that any intent to furlough or lay off employees due to a funding shortfall—which OPM had suggested could occur but then downplayed—are “premature and unnecessary.” They noted that the House last month passed an appropriations bill adding funds for the agency; that bill would block any further steps to carry out the administration’s plan, as would a separate bill passed there last week.
The Senate has not started writing its version of the appropriations bill but the letter could signal a move to endorse the House position.
Meanwhile, in passing the DoD authorization bill last week (HR-2500) the House again voted, by accepting an amendment, to bar any further action on the reorganization. Also, Democratic leaders of the Oversight and Reform Committee have called on the administration to make officials available for further questioning, saying that testimony and written materials provided so far have “failed to justify the administration’s intention to eliminate the agency.”
