And groups representing employees in jobs related to environmental issues warned that OPM’s plan would shatter employees’ ability to pursue science in government. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility warned the rules could have a chilling effect on employees whose job is to inform policymakers.
“Statutory adverse action rights—the rights of civil servants to challenge removals from service, suspensions or demotions—allow civil servants to challenge removals from service, suspensions or demotions—allow civil servants to serve the nation without fear of political reprisal and agencies to rely on their continued service,” PEER wrote. “This is essential to the effective functioning of agencies; without adverse action protections, civil servants like scientists, forecasters and statisticians, who are not in policy roles, will be potentially transferred into such positions where they very likely will credibly fear retaliation if they deliver potentially bad news, whether it be agricultural production statistics, severe weather forecasts, economic trends, or the myriad other types of information that federal civil servants now deliver.”