WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt regarding the agency’s plan to offer employee buyouts and early retirement incentives.
Citing recent reports that the agency plans to reduce the agency’s workforce by 1,200 employees in September 2017, Walden and Murphy write, “During the previous Administration, EPA offered similar workforce reduction incentives but lacked adequate written policies and management controls which resulted in the agency refilling numerous positions it intended to eliminate or restructure without any modifications in job description. This resulted in some EPA employees receiving $25,000 in buyouts while the agency hired new employees to fill the same positions."
Walden and Murphy continued, “While EPA has made some progress improving the agency’s use of buyouts, given the lack of internal controls during the previous Administration, the Committee wants to ensure that the separation payments becoming effective in September 2017 are an efficient use of taxpayer money and are in compliance with OPM requirements."
