WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) joined Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) in leading an effort to cut government waste and ensure that only the highest-performing federal employees are serving the American people.
 
The senators reintroduced the Modern Employment Reform, Improvement and Transformation (MERIT) Act, which would modernize the civil service system by expediting the dismissal of underperforming employees to keep pace with changing workforce needs. They were joined by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS). Companion legislation was introduced by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) in the House of Representatives earlier this month.
 
“The American people deserve high-performing and effective federal employees. Unfortunately, that’s not always what they get,” Grassley said. “Although most federal employees work hard to do their jobs well, some government employees chronically display poor performance or misconduct, and get away with it due to the current byzantine process for removing an employee. The MERIT Act would fix this problem by holding poor-performing bureaucrats accountable for their actions. I’m happy to support this long-overdue legislation.”
 
The MERIT Act would:
 
  • Streamline the process and shorten the amount of time required to remove underperforming employees.
 
  • Permit agencies to remove a senior executive for performance reasons, rather than merely demote them.
 
  • Limit retirement benefits of employees who are removed from their position due to a felony conviction related to their official duties.
 
  • Authorize agencies to recoup bonuses and awards when performance or conduct issues are discovered.
 
  • Extend the probationary period for competitive appointments and promotions from one year to two years so that there is adequate time to evaluate a new employee.
 
  • Curb the ability to use intermediaries to overrule or undermine Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) precedent.
 
  • Uphold critical whistleblower protections.

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