photo by patrick thibodeau
From the office of
“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced her Protecting Federal Agencies and Employees from Political Interference Act, which would prohibit the relocation of any federal department or agency headquarters outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) unless relocation legislation is passed by Congress and enacted into law.
Last week, the Trump administration directed federal agencies to submit proposed relocations of agency bureaus and offices from the NCR to other parts of the country. During Trump’s first term, his administration relocated several agencies outside the NCR, disrupting operations and leading to increased employee attrition and a decline in federal government services. This bill would prevent any such relocation without congressional approval.
“The Trump administration is engaging in an open war against federal employees, using illegal tactics to fire dedicated public servants without cause and using intimidation, threats and fear to force compliance with wasteful directives that demonstrate a deep-seated misunderstanding of how our government operates,” Norton said. “Moving federal agencies is not about saving taxpayer money and will degrade the vital services provided to Americans across the country. In the 1990s, the Bureau of Land Management moved its wildfire staff out West, only to move them back when Congress demanded briefings on new wildfires.
“We can have a discussion on ways to make government work better, but politicians throwing cheap shots at the nation’s capital and surrounding region, where thousands of expert public servants – and their families – live and work, should not be part of that discussion.”
Norton’s introductory statement follows. (more…)
