WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Gerry Connolly (VA-11) led 40 of their congressional colleagues in calling on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to immediately cease the termination of both OPM staff and human resources employees across the federal government and engage promptly with civil servants so that they may access the benefits they have earned.
“We are writing to you because the ongoing crisis of dysfunction throughout the federal government caused by DOGE has been seriously exacerbated by the mass firings of human resources (HR) staff at numerous agencies and critical Office of Personnel Management (OPM) staff,” the lawmakers wrote.
“This forced mass exodus from federal service has produced administrative chaos,” the lawmakers continued. “We have heard from constituents who cannot access their earned federal retirement benefits or who are not receiving the correct benefits. These workers have unexpectedly lost their livelihoods and are desperate to access the benefits they have earned.”
Rep. Raskin and colleagues wrote that many of their constituents who have recently been fired from their federal jobs or who have retired from their federal jobs are now facing significant HR-related delays. The Members noted that their own staff have struggled to reach congressional liaisons both at OPM and at other federal agencies—a standard practice exercised by congressional offices seeking assistance from the executive branch on behalf of constituents.
The letter is also signed by Representatives Joe Neguse, Steny Hoyer, Don Beyer, Sanford Bishop, Julia Brownley, Shontel Brown, André Carson, Danny Davis, Diana DeGette, Mark DeSaulnier, Sarah Elfreth, Robert Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Glenn Ivey, Pramila Jayapal, Bill Keating, Robin Kelly, Ro Khanna, Ted Lieu, Stephen Lynch, April McClain Delaney, Kweisi Mfume, Jerry Nadler, Eleanor Norton, Johnny Olszewski, Scott Peters, Mark Pocan, Mary Gay Scanlon, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider, Bobby Scott, Adam Smith, Suhas Subramanyam, Mark Takano, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, Eugene Vindman and Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Read the full text of Rep. Raskin’s letter here and below:
Dear Acting Director Ezell:
We are writing to you because the ongoing crisis of dysfunction throughout the federal government caused by DOGE has been seriously exacerbated by the mass firings of human resources (HR) staff at numerous agencies and critical Office of Personnel Management (OPM) staff.
As you are aware, the Trump administration has fired tens of thousands of federal workers – in many cases unlawfully – and has put thousands more on administrative leave. Some federal workers have been fired, rehired, and then fired again. Additionally, thousands of federal workers have ended their careers in public service earlier than planned due to the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to, in the words of now-Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, traumatize them and drive them out of their jobs.
This forced mass exodus from federal service has produced administrative chaos. We have heard from constituents who cannot access their earned federal retirement benefits or who are not receiving the correct benefits. These workers have unexpectedly lost their livelihoods and are desperate to access the benefits they have earned. Some of the constituents requesting our offices’ assistance are deeply concerned that if their issues are not resolved soon, their future earned benefits will be jeopardized.
However, in many employees’ cases, their agency’s HR department – which would typically process their separation from federal service and solve any issues – has been eliminated or significantly downsized. Our staff have been told to expect delayed agency responses to our casework inquiries on behalf of these constituents. To make matters worse, it seems that many of the congressional liaison officers at OPM now also appear to be on administrative leave, including managers. Alarmingly, our last remaining liaison contacts at OPM – who as recently as early April reassured our staff that their casework operations were ongoing – are now gone.
We respectfully urge you to immediately halt the firings of OPM staff as well as HR staff across the federal government, and we urge you to reinstate these vital workers as quickly as possible. This is an emergency situation.
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