House Majority leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is reaffirming congressional Democrats’ opposition to Trump administration’s proposed merger of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the General Services Administration (GSA).
Speaking to reporters at an Aug. 22 press lunch, Leader Hoyer said the administration’s impetus to push for the agency merger was driven by an animosity towards government, rather than its stated purpose of improving efficiency, according to a report in Federal Times.
“The Trump Administration’s proposal to merge OPM and GSA is short-sighted and yet another example of this administration’s continued attacks on the federal civilian workforce,” Leader Hoyer told MeriTalk. “Democrats will continue to fight against these attacks, which is why the House-passed Financial Services appropriations bill included an amendment to prohibit the merger of OPM and GSA.”
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., previously voiced strong concerns about the proposed merger to Margaret Weichert, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Rep. Connolly, who chairs the House Government Operations Subcommittee, and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, wrote to Weichert earlier this year and called the merger “irresponsible,” and a “half-baked proposal.”
“You repeatedly said that OPM’s legacy IT systems were outdated and in dire need of repair, but you provided no explanation as to why the move to GSA would improve the technology or its operations,” the congressmen wrote.
