Lack of approval of planned OPM-GSA merger could lead to layoffs, furloughs -- FederalSoup.com

Lack of approval of planned OPM-GSA merger could lead to layoffs, furloughs

By FederalSoup Staff
Jun 19, 2019

If Congress fails to approve the controversial planned merger of the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration, more than 100 employees could be furloughed or laid off, Government Executive reports.

According to the article, the threat was made by OPM’s Acting Director Margaret Weichert, who said she will put roughly 150 OPM out of work beginning Oct.1 if the merger is not approved by June 30.

The issue is that that once the agency’s security clearance processes are transferred over to the Department of Defense, OPM will face a nearly $70 million budget shortfall, and even after several cost-savings efforts, it will face a $23.3 million gap in fiscal 2020, which equates to roughly 150 full-time positions in the agency’s Title 5 policy and oversight workforce, the article notes.

Reader comments

Thu, Jun 20, 2019

OPM should been trying to up instead of behind on everything. They seem to function poorly. I held to a higher standard than that.

Thu, Jun 20, 2019 Tony

You know that would be a great approach, take out the 100 senators that we have and bring them down to 50, and the representatives down to 219 for starters. Then make their positions a non-retired federal retired position unless they happen to put in 20 plus years and pay into the social security plans like all other federal employees. Oh, and they also pay into the medical plans just like every other federal employee does so they experience what they feel when they have to wait for appointments and health care. And if they do not make at least 50% of their platform promises then they are not allowed to run for office the following year and furloughed just like what they are wanting to do with our people now. That would make more sense to me.

Thu, Jun 20, 2019

It appears “efficiency” means firing federal employees for the bad decisions of the administration, then asking those left to work harder for less, then blaming them again; ultimately destroying the Federal Government, making America non-existent again (Great?).

Thu, Jun 20, 2019 Maria Gatian

I was one of the employees affected by the last government furlough. Spending so much wasted time at home worrying followed by more wasted time in the office scrambling to catch up to normal workflows. This administration seems to get a lot of what they want through leverage. Leveraging government workers to get the wall, leveraging Mexico to get cooperation on controlling migrants, leveraging the Chinese to try and get reform on trade policy, and now leveraging a different section of government in order to restructure systems. The definition of leverage is the application of force to obtain a result. The definition of bullying also is the use of pressure or force to gain an advantage over someone else. The problem is that this type of force also creates something else - hatred. I have been a bully and have dealt with the hatred from others that resulted. I also have been a victim of bullying and cruelty. We all have. This type of behavior should not become a precedent for how we conduct business in this country.

Thu, Jun 20, 2019 Luke

No mention of attrition due to retirements and career changes? This is meant to scare people into approving eh merger. It probably does not reflect what's actually going on. OPM doesn't want the merger even though it's been hopelessly behind in processing retirements for about 15 years.

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