Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich. and Patty Murray, D-Wash. have raised concerns about the Trump administration’s plans to dissolve the Office of Personnel Management and transition most of its duties to the General Services Administration. Peters and Murray wrote in a letter to OPM’s acting director Margaret Weichert that “alternative options†must be established to address OPM’s budget issues after the agency experienced a $69 million shortfall due to the transfer of the National Background and Investigations Bureau’s functions to the Department of Defense.
The senators noted that the budget gap has resulted in “premature and unnecessary†plans to send furlough notices to around 150 OPM employees and that a proposed merger with GSA could worsen OPM’s current workforce issues.Â
“Despite months of congressional requests, the administration has failed to provide evidence that a proposed merger would save taxpayer dollars or even benefit the civil service,†the senators said. Peters is a ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, while Murray serves as the minority leader for the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.