Government affairs

On March 9, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing to examine the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) effectiveness. OPM Director Kiran Ahuja testified, and committee members questioned her on the steps OPM is taking to improve efficiency, teleworking policies for the federal workforce, and on the implementation of health care provisions included in the Postal Service Reform Act.

Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) questioned Ahuja on OPM’s readiness to implement the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) program by 2025. Ahuja recognized the “aggressive timeline” and assured the committee that the agency was on track for successful implementation under the law. The new program will potentially serve 2 million new enrollees.

Overall, committee members expressed their frustrations with OPM’s retirement services delays. Several Republican members attributed these wait times to increased teleworking that started during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they requested figures on the number of federal employees still working remotely.