Lankford Subcommittee Examines the Administration’s Proposed Government Reorganization Plan

WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, under the chairmanship of Senator James Lankford (R-OK), today held a hearing on the challenges and opportunities of the proposed government reorganization plan involving the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and General Services Administration (GSA). 

On June 21, the Trump Administration announced a government-wide reorganization plan, “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century.” Today’s hearing specifically examined one of the plan’s proposals, “Reorganizing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management,” which calls for OPM to transfer some of its services to GSA and form a new entity, called “Government Services Agency.”

“I appreciated hearing the testimony of GSA Administrator Emily Murphy and OPM Director Jeff Pon about the President’s proposed reorganization and their agency’s role in this plan,” said Lankford. “There are a wide range of issues to address with how the federal agencies are currently organized, and I am pleased this Administration is proposing possible ways to make the government more efficient for the taxpayers. It is important that Washington takes a hard look at how to better organize the government to address waste and make customer and taxpayer service their number one priority; we must not shy away from how to update our 20th-century federal services for a 21st-century public.”

On June 27, Lankford and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) introduced legislation that would give the Executive Branch authority to reorganize federal agencies and allow the Administration to implement ideas in their proposal. The bill provides a fast-track mechanism for an up or down vote by both chambers regarding a detailed Administration reorganization plan, while also ensuring the OMB certifies that the reorganization plan will result in cost savings for taxpayers. 

CLICK HERE to view the hearing video and read opening statements. 

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