Walkinshaw, Colleagues Press Administration for Answers on Cancellation of Federal Employee Survey Essential for Government Oversight
WASHINGTON – Today, Representative James Walkinshaw (VA-11.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), along with Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.), led 17 of their colleagues in pressing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for answers on its cancellation of the 2025 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), an important tool for understanding and improving the federal workforce. In their letter to OPM Director Scott Kupor, the lawmakers expressed concerns that the FEVS is being cancelled with no alternative method in place for federal agencies to meet their legal obligation to survey employees and that the loss of the data typically collected by the FEVS will result in less government efficiency and transparency.
Representative Walkinshaw, Senator Van Hollen, and Senator Peters were joined on this letter by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.), as well as Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), and Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.).
“We write to express our deep concern regarding the recent announcement to cancel the 2025 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). As you know, the FEVS is a critically important tool for understanding and improving the federal workforce, which assists agencies in meeting a legal requirement to survey their employees and supports Congress in our work to oversee executive branch activities,” the Members began.
“This year’s absence of FEVS means OPM will not collect or release governmentwide data on how federal employees currently view their jobs, supervisors, and organizational culture. This loss of transparency is troubling. The data not only aids internal agency improvement but also supports congressional oversight and holds leadership accountable,” they continued. “Congress uses this information to ensure that agencies are fulfilling their missions effectively, meeting statutory requirements, and upholding the values of a high-performance, merit-based civil service.”
Given their concerns, the Members ask Director Kupor to answer a series of questions including how federal agencies will meet their legal requirement to survey their employees now that it will no longer be met by the FEVS; what the justification is for cancelling the FEVS, rather than simply delaying it to incorporate the changes OPM claims are necessary; and how the Administration plans to collect necessary data about employee experience to make administrative and management decisions.
Text of the letter can be viewed here and below.
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