OPM Tells Employees Merger with GSA is Off

The acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has reportedly told employees that the administration is abandoning its plan to merge the agency with the General Services Administration (GSA).

NTEU strongly opposed the proposal to move personnel policy from an independent agency into the White House, which would weaken civil service protections and politicize the federal government. The union also warned that moving OPM’s retirement and health care functions to GSA would be detrimental to these federal employee programs. Both lawmakers and NTEU also took issue with the lack of details and information on the proposed merger from the administration.

Congress passed a provision in 2020 funding legislation to block implementation of the merger until a study on its impact is completed.