As House Prepares to Vote on Preventing a Patronage System Act, IFPTE Urges Passage of Needed Anti-Corruption Legislation
UPDATE: 09/15/2022 - The House passed the Preventing a Patronage System Act with bipartisan support by a vote of 225 to 204. See how your Representative voted here.
This week, IFPTE requested Members of the House of Representatives vote to pass the bipartisan Preventing A Patronage System Act, H.R. 302. This legislation, sponsored by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) is a top priority for IFPTE.
As stated in the letter, the bill “prevents the executive branch creating a class of political appointees to perform work that properly should be performed by nonpartisan federal employees hired through and working under a competitive and merit-based process.”
In October 2020, when the Trump Administration issued Executive Order 13597 to create a new Schedule F excepted service classification in order to replace tens of thousands of federal employees in the competitive service with political allies, IFPTE was outspoken about the lasting harm this would cause to federal workers’ union rights, to the functionality of our government, and to the public interest. As noted in the letter to Representatives, “Were it not overturned by President Biden, this executive order would have opened the door to firing tens of thousands of dedicated career civil servants with institutional knowledge and a commitment to public service, eliminated rigorous hiring and performance standards, and embedded political allies and political influence throughout the government. “
IFPTE called for strong bipartisan support this legislation, as “The defense of our democratic institutions should be a goal that cuts across party lines.” With recent new reports suggesting future presidential administrations will seek to revive Schedule F, fire 50,000 federal employees, and convert those jobs to politically appointed positions, the legislation is a necessary remedy to attempts to “decimate the professional civil service and the merit systems and due process protections that serves the best interests of the American public.”
This legislation is also included in the bipartisan House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2023 (H.R. 7900). IFPTE and our union partners are working to make sure the final NDAA includes the Preventing A Patronage System Act.
Read IFPTE’s letter to Members of the House of Representatives here.
UPDATE:
9/15/2022 - The House passed the Preventing a Patronage System Act with bipartisan support by a vote of 225 to 204.