Hoyer Remarks at Rally Opposing the Trump Administration's Proposed OPM-GSA Merger

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks this afternoon at a rally hosted by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in opposition to the Trump Administration's proposal to merge the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the General Services Administration (GSA). Below is a transcript of his remarks:

"Ladies and gentlemen, federal employees have paid over $180 billion in lost pay and wages and benefits over the last six or seven years - $180 billion. What we ought to be doing is not trying to merge OPM with an agency with which it has no relationship in terms of objective, in terms of discipline, in terms of expertise that is needed. It makes no sense. It is irrational. The only conclusion that I can draw is that it is done again to denigrate and undermine federal employees and their rights and their benefits under the civil service system. That's all I can think of. One agency builds buildings; the other agency is supposed to build morale, not tear it down.

"The Office of Personnel Management is what every great corporation or small corporation needs if it is going to be successful. Take care of your people. If you ask any successful business person, any leader anywhere, he will say or she will say ‘take care of your people; make sure that they're highly motivated and understand you care about them if you want them to care about you.' That's what this issue is about. It is not about any kind of rational management judgement at all. Because the GSA discipline is how do we build buildings, how do we lease buildings, how do we make sure that we are managing our property correctly. Federal employees are not property. Federal employees are not inanimate objects. Federal employees are people who care, and on who we rely every day to make our government work, to make our country better.

"So I'm pleased be here… I am so proud [of Congressman Gerry Connolly]. There is not a tougher fighter, there is not somebody who is always on the field more frequently, making sure that the interests of our federal employees and our government is taken care of. And he's a member of the Oversight Committee that has jurisdiction over the civil service… We're going to consider the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill on the Floor either today or tomorrow. And in it it says you cannot merge these two agencies. And it says that because, as I said at the beginning, it does not make sense. All of you can be very proud of the fact that, and I'm very proud of the fact that, I'm going to be working shoulder to shoulder with my friend, your friend Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia."