FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Government Accountability Project Applauds the Senate Confirmation of Cathy Harris as U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board Chair
WASHINGTON- Today, Government Accountability Project hails the Senate confirmation of Cathy Harris as Chair of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. The Board is the only due process for civil service rights, including the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Legal Director Tom Devine commented:
“For the first time since February 2015, the enforcement channels for the merit system are fully staffed and functional. This victory for taxpayers would not have happened without the leadership and persistence of Senator Schumer. His staff’s patient determination was relentless.”
The board hadn’t had a quorum for more than five years, and it hadn’t had any members at all since March 2019, resulting in the largest-ever backlog of more than 3,500 cases. As a result, government whistleblowers waiting for board review of their retaliation claims were in limbo while their only due process channel for relief under the Whistleblower Protection Act was paralyzed. This inaction opened an opportunity to many larger issues, including federal agencies taking advantage of the long wait on unresolved cases, large back pay ordered to be paid to federal employees with wrongful termination or demotion claims, and the jeopardizing of the existence of meaningfully enforceable employment rights for millions of Americans. Making the vacuum worse was a...
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