1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my deep concern over the Office of Personnel Management’s newly finalized regulations that transfer certain federal employee appeals away from the independent Merit Systems Protection Board and into OPM itself. These changes represent yet another attack on the federal civil service and the dedicated public servants who keep our government functioning. This administration, under the direction of Russell Vought and other political appointees, continues to erode the merit-based civil service through actions that undermine due process, collective bargaining, and the rule of law. Rather than respecting the protections Congress established, it has repeatedly sought to consolidate power and weaken the independence of the institutions designed to protect federal employees from political interference. Congress enacted the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 specifically to separate personnel management from the independent review of employee appeals. OPM was given responsibility for personnel policy, while the Merit Systems Protection Board was created to provide impartial oversight and ensure employees received fair and independent review of adverse actions. That separation was intentional. It was designed to prevent exactly the kind of concentration of authority that these new regulations now create. By placing these appeals under OPM’s authority instead of an independent body, this administration is dismantling a cornerstone of the merit system. Employees deserve an impartial decision-maker—not the very agency responsible for implementing the policies they are challenging. Removing independent review weakens accountability and undermines confidence that federal employees will receive fair treatment. This latest action is part of a broader pattern of hostility toward the federal workforce. Time and again, this administration has attempted to strip employees of longstanding workplace rights, weaken collective bargaining, reduce due process protections, and politicize what has long been a nonpartisan civil service. Federal employees serve administrations of both parties and deserve to be treated with respect, not as political adversaries. I urge you to publicly condemn these actions and exercise Congress’s oversight authority. Congress must reaffirm the principles embodied in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, protect the independence of the Merit Systems Protection Board, and ensure that federal employees continue to have access to fair and impartial review of personnel actions. No administration should be permitted to circumvent laws enacted by Congress simply because it disagrees with them. Our civil service exists to serve the American people—not political interests. The integrity and independence of that system must be preserved. Thank you for your time and your commitment to protecting the rule of law and the dedicated federal workforce.