OPM-GSA Merger Blocked

The House of Representatives fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by that included an amendment that would block the proposed reorganization of OPM. So it appears that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and General Services Administration ( GSA) merger is not going to happen.

An amendment was introduced by US Representative Gerry Connolly designed to prevent the Trump administration from going forward with a proposed plan to merge the GSA into OPM.

Stakeholders and Congressional Members against the merger have often been critical of the plan as well as the execution of it in and effort to reduce duplication of positions and functions within the government.

Leaders of OPM have framed the reorganization as a required step to avoid a large funding gap created by moving the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) to the Department of Defense from OPM. This move would have created a $70 million funding gap. Margaret Weichart, the Acting OPM director, criticized discussion of furloughs as premature with regard to the funding gap.

The agency proposed a hiring freeze as well as considering leaving vacant positions open in a document provided to Congress by OPM.

So it seems, for now, that the merger of OPM and GSA will NOT take place.