Additionally, some said expanding paid administrative leave options conflicts with the intent of the 2016 Administrative Leave Act, which called on agencies to use the leave type sparingly and for short-term purposes. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) argued that the changes contradict the congressional intent of the legislation, which aimed to set annual 10-day limits for certain uses of paid administrative leave.
“A rule that reopens the door to months-long, effectively unchallengeable leave for employees facing a RIF reproduces the same harm Congress diagnosed and acted to end,” PEER wrote in public comments in July.