staffing | Voter.org

Lawmakers press OPM on ‘critical’ staffing, funding issues in Postal insurance program

September 15, 2025 funding, Insurance, critical, staffing, Press, Lawmakers, issues, Postal, Program0 comment

Less than two months away from this fall’s Open Season, Democrats in Congress are raising concerns that the Office of Personnel Management may not be fully prepared to administer the major health insurance program for millions of Postal Service employees and annuitants. Top Democrats from several congressional committees sent a letter Friday to OPM Director Scott Kupor to push for answers about key issues recently identified in the new Postal Service Health Benefits program. The letter comes a few months after the agency’s inspector general office found “critical” staffing vacancies…

New Social Security commissioner faces pointed questions about staffing, privacy

June 27, 2025 privacy, Commissioner, pointed, staffing, security, about, Social, faces, questions0 comment

WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of job cuts, leadership turnover and other turmoil at the Social Security Administration, the agency’s newly minted commissioner faced pointed questions from lawmakers about the future of the agency and its ability to pay Americans their benefits and protect their privacy. Frank Bisignano, who was sworn in last month as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, told lawmakers he intends to improve accuracy in payments and raise morale at the agency, which has already lost 7,000 workers since billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of…

IRS needs 11,000 hires to ‘maintain’ phone support for 2026 filing season, plans on 60% cut to IT staffing

June 7, 2025 Maintain, 2026, Filing, staffing, 11000, season, needs, support, plans, phone, Hires0 comment

The IRS is preparing for major budget and staffing cuts next year, but simultaneously, congressional Republicans are trying to pass a budget reconciliation package that would create much more work for the tax agency. Former IRS leaders say they’re concerned the agency will have fewer resources to provide an acceptable level of customer service during next year’s filing season — especially if President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” makes it through Congress. The tax-and-spending cuts bill would have the IRS scrambling to prepare its IT systems and employees for…

VHA on track to meet 2023 staffing targets, but House lawmakers urge further hiring reforms

May 17, 2023 hiring, Further, 2023, staffing, House, urge, Lawmakers, Track, Meet, Targets, Reforms0 comment

Ongoing recruitment challenges for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care workforce are gaining more attention — and concerns — from Congress. The Veterans Health Administration is on track to reach its year-end target increase for its total number of employees. But problems persist in VHA’s hiring and onboarding processes, lawmakers on the House Veterans Affairs Committee said. “We all know that this is a crisis situation. It was a crisis before COVID. It’s a bigger crisis now. And we have to treat it accordingly and work on this in…

White House $1.6B COVID fraud plan gives federal watchdogs increased staffing

March 2, 2023 watchdogs, staffing, Fraud, House, gives, White, plan, federal, increased, Covid, $1.6B0 comment

The Biden administration is asking Congress to give federal watchdogs and prosecutors more funding — and more time — to go after billions of dollars in COVID-19 spending lost to fraudsters. The White House is seeking $ 1.6 billion to help federal law enforcement and agency inspectors general handle a growing caseload of pandemic-related fraud claims. The spending request issued Thursday previews some of what the Biden administration will include in its fiscal 2024 budget proposal, which it expects to release next week. It also includes many of the recommendations…