Letter to Elaine Kaplan, Acting Director Office of Personnel Management - Unintended Harm Due to Shutdown to Federal Employees
Letter
Dear Ms. Kaplan,
I write to bring your attention the government shutdown's impact on federal employees. After hearing the stories of many furloughed federal employees in my district, I am concerned that the shutdown will have unintended and largely unforeseen impacts on the ability of employees to receive performance awards, regular pay increases, and security clearances.
OPM's Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs states that agencies may delay performance awards and within-grade or step increases until funds are available. However, the guidance gives no timeline for when federal employees should expect to be paid back for required performance awards or within-grade increases, which are awarded on the basis of length of service and individual performance. I request that OPM sets a specific deadline to promptly pay federal employees performance awards or pay increases after the shutdown ends.
Many federal employees who live paycheck-to-paycheck expect and depend on performance awards and regular pay increases to manage their finances. In addition, it is my understanding that agencies use credit ratings as an integral part of the background check process for employees requiring security clearances. This raises concerns about the shutdown's impact on federal employee credit ratings and their ability to pass background checks. I urge you to be mindful of these potential problems in conducting background check investigations for current federal employees.
Federal employees should be held harmless from Congress's inability to avoid a government shutdown. These public servants often work long hours with little pay--in this case, excepted employees are working with no pay. We must mitigate any disruption in their lives due to events that are completely outside of their control.
Thank you for your careful consideration of my requests. I look forward to working with you to ensure that our dedicated employees have the certainty they deserve in this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Member of Congress
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