Legislative leaders reacted on Monday to a report that found that approximately one-quarter of Obama administration appointee conversions to career federal service positions didn’t meet procedures designed to curb favoritism.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed data on 69 political conversions between 2010 and 2015 across 30 agencies and found examples of the administration failing to adhere to laws intended to limit career positions being offered based on favoritism rather than merit.
U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD), the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Ron Johnson (R-WI), the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, all released statements critical of the GAO’s findings.
“Rules exist for a reason,” Upton said. “The nonpartisan watchdog’s findings that one out of every four political appointees who burrowed into the executive branch during this administration did not follow the rules is deeply troubling. GAO’s guidance should help ensure proper procedures are followed so favoritism and bias are free from the inner workings of our government.”
Chaffetz said that hiring decisions must be free of political interference.
“(The Office of Personnel Management) should fully embrace GAO’s recommendation for a more stringent process to verify all conversions are appropriate,” Chaffetz added. “Fair and open competition is central to the integrity of a merit-based federal workforce.”
The GAO has also reported on previous administration officials failing to follow laws and regulations designed to ensure that political appointees seeking career positions do not have an unfair advantage, last releasing a report in June 2010.
“One of the reasons the federal government has laws on merit-based hiring is to prevent cronyism and political favoritism,” Thune said. “GAO’s finding that the Obama administration hasn’t consistently followed these rules is troubling.”
The practice of “burrowing in” by political appointees threatens the integrity of the federal workforce, Johnson said, which is why employees need to be hired based on merit rather than political beliefs.
“I was particularly disappointed to see the Department of Homeland Security reporting the highest number of appointee-to-career employee conversions,” Johnson said. “It is critical that the administration take steps to ensure fairness and competition in federal service.”