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.