Home Media Center News Releases

Washington D.C. – The Merit Systems Protection Board, essentially shuttered by the previous administration, needs to reopen soon and tackle the backlog of pending cases, according to a bipartisan request from key members of Congress that is supported by the National Treasury Employees Union. 

The MSPB, where federal employees can take their concerns about due process violations and prohibited personnel practices, has not had a quorum in more than three years and lost all of its board members two years ago.  

The chairman and ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations sent a joint letter to President Biden this week, asking him to appoint new board members as soon as possible. 

"These vacancies have led to a backlog of more than 3,000 petitions from federal employees requesting review of their allegations. The MSPB’s lack of a quorum has concerned this Subcommittee and the Committee on Oversight and Reform for some time,” wrote Chairman Gerald Connolly (D-VA) and Ranking Member Jody Hice (R-GA). 

NTEU also urged the Biden administration to appoint qualified, fair-minded board members who understand the role the MSPB plays in guarding federal merit system principles and protecting employees from wrongdoing in the workplace, such as retaliation for whistleblowing. 

“Behind every case pending at the MSPB is a federal employee who has a right to be heard, and we thank these members of Congress for their interest in getting the board back up and running as soon as possible,” said NTEU National President Tony Reardon. 

NTEU represents employees in 34 federal agencies and offices.