1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to express my serious concern about the federal government’s continued changes to the federal workforce and the impact these policies are having on federal employees and their families. The Office of Personnel Management’s new Reduction in Force regulations took effect on September 2, 2026. Under the revised system, recent performance ratings carry substantially greater weight in determining retention standing, while tenure and length of federal service generally come into play later in the process. OPM has also transferred appeals of covered RIF actions from the Merit Systems Protection Board to OPM itself. These changes deserve serious congressional scrutiny. Federal employees who have dedicated years, and in many cases decades, to public service should not have to live with continual uncertainty about whether their jobs will disappear because of restructuring, workforce reductions, or changes to the rules governing retention. I am particularly concerned about the continued actions of Russell Vought and OPM Director Scott Kupor and the broader approach this administration has taken toward the federal workforce. Employees have already endured years of uncertainty involving reorganizations, staffing reductions, hiring restrictions, changes to working conditions, and the prospect of additional involuntary separations. The cumulative effect is enormously disruptive to the people who keep federal agencies functioning. Federal agencies cannot effectively serve the American people if their employees are continually subjected to instability and uncertainty about whether their positions will exist tomorrow. The federal workforce is not simply a line item in a budget. These are people who perform essential public services and who deserve a fair, transparent, and accountable personnel system. I am asking you to exercise your oversight responsibilities and demand answers about these changes. Congress should examine whether the new RIF system provides adequate protections for experienced employees, whether performance evaluations can be relied upon fairly and consistently across agencies, and whether transferring RIF appeals to OPM provides sufficient independence and due process. I also urge you to consider the broader consequences of continuing to reduce and destabilize the federal workforce. If the administration is going to reorganize agencies, eliminate positions, or conduct reductions in force, Congress should ensure that these actions are based on legitimate operational needs rather than an approach that unnecessarily destabilizes the people responsible for carrying out the government’s work. I expect you to stand up for your constituents who work for the federal government and to use your position in Congress to provide meaningful oversight of these policies. Federal employees deserve to know that their elected representatives are paying attention when fundamental changes are made to their careers, livelihoods, and ability to serve the public. This issue should not be dismissed as an ordinary personnel matter. Congress has an obligation to examine how these policies are affecting the federal workforce and the government’s ability to deliver services to the American people. I urge you to take this matter seriously and to demand accountability from OPM and the administration.