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Democrats blast Trump team's handling of federal workers in coronavirus crisis
TOTALAUTHORITYHat Retweetedguys, the PPO external relations director is totally qualified for the job –– per her LinkedIn, she got a 5 on her AP Gov't exam in 2016.
https://politico.com/news/2020/04/21/democrats-blast-trump-federal-workers-coronavirus-199026
Link to tweet
WHITE HOUSE
Democrats blast Trump team's handling of federal workers in coronavirus crisis
The Office of Personnel Management is stonewalling their requests for information, lawmakers say.
By DANIEL LIPPMAN
04/21/2020 05:34 PM EDT
As President Donald Trump tries to reopen the country after more than a month of lockdown, Democrats say the government’s top human resources office is stonewalling their efforts to understand how and when the federal government itself will return to normal.
Specifically, the Office of Personnel Management is refusing to brief Capitol Hill on the status of the agency and federal employees’ teleworking arrangements, Democrats say.
{snip}
But Democrats’ frustrations with OPM are boiling over as the agency -- which sets HR guidelines and policies across the federal workforce -- and the Presidential Personnel Office -- which places political appointees into jobs across the administration -- are in the throes of upheaval.
Former officials and others have expressed concern in interviews that OPM’s new leadership favors sweeping changes to the federal workforce -- in ways that would fundamentally change the nature of government service.
At the same time, other top officials are seeking to align the federal workforce more squarely with President Trump’s political agenda, rankling longtime civil servants. The drive has been spearheaded by John McEntee, the 29-year-old head of PPO and a fierce Trump loyalist.
OPM is currently headed up by acting director Mike Rigas, who assumed the role in mid-March after the abrupt resignation of Dale Cabaniss, who stepped down because of alleged poor treatment by several Trump appointees. Rigas has worked as the deputy director of OPM for the last two years and is also an alum of the Heritage Foundation.
{snip}
The arrival of Rigas comes amid a push by McEntee and his allies to install other Trump loyalists across the executive branch.
McEntee is working in concert with Paul Dans, OPM’s new White House liaison and senior adviser, whose rapid efforts to consolidate his control over other agency appointees has irritated some officials.
{snip}
With greater authority has come a new round of clashes between various parts of the executive branches over personnel, with veteran officials in Cabinet agencies accusing McEntee of installing unqualified appointees in key posts.
PPO recently brought on a fourth college senior to be a Trump administration official, after previously hiring a George Washington University senior to be one of McEntee’s right-hand man, an Iowa State University senior to be deputy White House liaison at the Department of Commerce and a University of Virginia senior to temporarily help with paperwork for DOD appointees.
But starting a few weeks ago, before some agencies fill a job, they now have to submit the opening to PPO to see if the White House has someone to place into the position. If they don’t have anyone, only then can the agency submit a name, the former official said. The result has left the personnel office “much stronger than they ever have been before,” this person said.
The fourth college senior is Jordan Hayley, a Liberty University senior majoring in history and international relations who started in February as PPO’s external relations director. In that role, her job is to conduct outreach and build relationships with agencies, potential hires and outside organizations. She will receive her undergraduate degree in May upon finishing one last class, according to a senior administration official.
“The White House is proud to have such a capable young woman for this position,” the official said.
Working for the White House is Hayley’s first permanent job; according to her LinkedIn profile, she is a former intern for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the American Foreign Policy Council and also worked in student government at Liberty.
{snip}
Democrats blast Trump team's handling of federal workers in coronavirus crisis
The Office of Personnel Management is stonewalling their requests for information, lawmakers say.
By DANIEL LIPPMAN
04/21/2020 05:34 PM EDT
As President Donald Trump tries to reopen the country after more than a month of lockdown, Democrats say the government’s top human resources office is stonewalling their efforts to understand how and when the federal government itself will return to normal.
Specifically, the Office of Personnel Management is refusing to brief Capitol Hill on the status of the agency and federal employees’ teleworking arrangements, Democrats say.
{snip}
But Democrats’ frustrations with OPM are boiling over as the agency -- which sets HR guidelines and policies across the federal workforce -- and the Presidential Personnel Office -- which places political appointees into jobs across the administration -- are in the throes of upheaval.
Former officials and others have expressed concern in interviews that OPM’s new leadership favors sweeping changes to the federal workforce -- in ways that would fundamentally change the nature of government service.
At the same time, other top officials are seeking to align the federal workforce more squarely with President Trump’s political agenda, rankling longtime civil servants. The drive has been spearheaded by John McEntee, the 29-year-old head of PPO and a fierce Trump loyalist.
OPM is currently headed up by acting director Mike Rigas, who assumed the role in mid-March after the abrupt resignation of Dale Cabaniss, who stepped down because of alleged poor treatment by several Trump appointees. Rigas has worked as the deputy director of OPM for the last two years and is also an alum of the Heritage Foundation.
{snip}
The arrival of Rigas comes amid a push by McEntee and his allies to install other Trump loyalists across the executive branch.
McEntee is working in concert with Paul Dans, OPM’s new White House liaison and senior adviser, whose rapid efforts to consolidate his control over other agency appointees has irritated some officials.
{snip}
With greater authority has come a new round of clashes between various parts of the executive branches over personnel, with veteran officials in Cabinet agencies accusing McEntee of installing unqualified appointees in key posts.
PPO recently brought on a fourth college senior to be a Trump administration official, after previously hiring a George Washington University senior to be one of McEntee’s right-hand man, an Iowa State University senior to be deputy White House liaison at the Department of Commerce and a University of Virginia senior to temporarily help with paperwork for DOD appointees.
But starting a few weeks ago, before some agencies fill a job, they now have to submit the opening to PPO to see if the White House has someone to place into the position. If they don’t have anyone, only then can the agency submit a name, the former official said. The result has left the personnel office “much stronger than they ever have been before,” this person said.
The fourth college senior is Jordan Hayley, a Liberty University senior majoring in history and international relations who started in February as PPO’s external relations director. In that role, her job is to conduct outreach and build relationships with agencies, potential hires and outside organizations. She will receive her undergraduate degree in May upon finishing one last class, according to a senior administration official.
“The White House is proud to have such a capable young woman for this position,” the official said.
Working for the White House is Hayley’s first permanent job; according to her LinkedIn profile, she is a former intern for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the American Foreign Policy Council and also worked in student government at Liberty.
{snip}
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