Whistleblower advocates continue to pressure the U.S. Senate to vote on nominees for the Merit System Protections Board (MSPB). On February 15, a collection of close to one hundred civil society organizations, including Whistleblower Network News, sent a letter to Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging the Senate leaders to allow the full Senate to consider and vote on the pending nominations for all three MSPB vacancies.
The MSPB has lacked the two members needed to form a quorum since January 2017. In October 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs voted to advance President Biden’s three nominees for the Board: Cathy Harris, Raymond Limon, and Tristan Leavitt. A full Senate vote on the nominees has yet to be held, however.
Without a quorum, the MSPB is unable to issue final rulings on whistleblower retaliation cases for federal employees. This means that federal employees who were fired or otherwise retaliated against for blowing the whistle on misconduct have been left in legal limbo for years. The MSPB currently estimates there is a backlog of over 3500 cases pending before the Board. According to former MSPB member Mark Robbins, this backlog could take over 5 years to work through.
“We urge you to go beyond these abstract descriptions to consider the devastating impact on people’s livelihoods and careers, as well as the corrosive toll on the public interest and the public purse,” the groups’ letter...
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