House Dems Ask to Block Funding for OPM Reorganization

A group of House Democrats have asked to block funding for the Trump administration’s proposal to reorganize OPM.

A group of 19 Democrats in the House have asked that no funding be provided to facilitate the Trump administration’s proposal to reorganize the Office of Personnel Management by moving some of its functions into the General Services Administration. Many of the lawmakers represent districts home to higher concentrations of federal employees.

The lawmakers wrote in their letter:

As you consider the Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you not appropriate any funding to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the General Services Administration (GSA) for the purpose of implementing a proposed merger between the two agencies, and that you prohibit the use of any funding for such purpose until the Administration has provided sufficient information and justification for the transaction to Congress.

The letter implies that the lawmakers might back off of their threat if they were to get the requested information and justification about the proposed reorganization.

The 2020 budget proposal has called for a “full reorganization” of OPM. It includes “transferring all remaining functions to the General Services Administration (GSA), including oversight and transactional functions from OPM’s Human Resources Solutions (HRS), Retirement Services, Healthcare & Insurance, Office of Inspector General, and Merit System Accountability and Compliance organizations.”

As FedSmith author Jeff Neal recently pointed out, “Although the proposal does not explicitly call for eliminating OPM, once it is done, there is nothing left to do at OPM other than turning out the lights.”

He added, however, that the proposal as written is unlikely to be fully implemented.

A copy of the letter is included below.

FY 2020 OPM/GSA Funding Letter

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.