The Senate this week voted to approve two nominees to the three-member Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) – giving the board its first quorum in five years so that it can begin to take action on a big backlog of cases.
The MSPB is an independent, quasi-judicial agency in the executive branch that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems to protect against partisan political and other prohibited personnel practices.
On March 1, the Senate approved by voice vote the nominations of Tristan Leavitt to the MSPB with a term expiring in 2023, and Raymond Limon to a term expiring in 2025. Leavitt was nominated to the post by President Biden in September 2021, and Limon was nominated last June.
Before this week’s Senate action, the board had been devoid of members since 2019 and built up a backlog of more than 3,400 cases to consider.
Still awaiting Senate action is the nomination of Cathy Harris, who was renominated to the MSPB in January, after her first nomination in June 2021 expired at the end of the year without Senate action. Her initial nomination cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in October 2021.
