Federal Managers Association

Press Release

• FMA APPLAUDS HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE VOTE ON FISCAL YEAR 2020 APPROPRIATIONS - June 4, 2019
• Includes pay raise for 2020 and blocks implementation of proposed OPM Merger with GSA
  
  
  Alexandria, VA – On Monday, June 3, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government passed a spending bill for Fiscal Year 2020 by voice vote. The bill provides for a 3.1 percent pay raise for feds in 2020, and would prevent the administration’s proposed merger of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the General Services Administration (GSA). Federal Managers Association (FMA) National President Renee Johnson made the following comments on the subcommittee passage of the legislation:
  
  
  "FMA applauds Chairman Mike Quigley (D-IL) and the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on passing this important funding bill for FY2020. We are particularly pleased the bill includes a pay raise for feds. Congress and the administration must compensate federal employees fairly, show our country they are valued, and ensure our agencies receive the funds they need to execute their critical missions. The 3.1 percent pay raise included in this bill demonstrates a well-deserved commitment to the federal workforce.
  
  
  “We also support the subcommittee’s oversight and action to prevent the proposed merger of OPM with GSA. We recognize the business case the administration has outlined, and some components of the proposal have merit toward making government function more effectively and efficiently. However, FMA’s concerns with removing OPM’s status as an independent establishment outweigh the potential benefits. Transferring OPM’s roles to the Executive Office of the President would negatively impact the non-partisan standing of the career civil service, and most importantly, threatens the output of services to the American people. The proposed merger – which has seen skepticism from both sides of the aisle – politicizes human resources functions within the federal government, and that is unacceptable. We appreciate the subcommittee taking steps to block funds from being used to implement the proposed merger.   
  
  
  “As the full House Appropriations Committee and the Senate continue to work on funding, we urge them to follow the lead of the subcommittee, maintain the pay raise for 2020, and uphold OPM’s status as an independent establishment.”
  
  

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