Senate Confirms MSPB, OSC Leaders
The Senate has confirmed two leaders in positions focused on protecting the federal employee rights: Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
The MSPB is responsible for adjudicating appeals of personnel actions, while OSC is responsible for protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices, particularly retaliation over whistleblowing.
MSPB
The Senate confirmed attorney Cathy Ann Harris as permanent chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), on a 51 to 48 vote. Chair Harris has been on the Board since 2022 and was serving as acting chair.
Chair Harris and Raymond Limon currently make up the entire board, as the nomination of Henry Kerner for another board seat is currently awaiting action in the Senate.
Nevertheless, the Harris-Limon Board is enough for a quorum and means the MSPB can continue deciding cases and reducing the current case backlog.
The MSPB was without a quorum for five years until 2022, limiting its operations and preventing it from offering final decisions. The MSPB has since reduced its backlog by 50 percent to 1,900 cases.
OSC
The Senate also confirmed Hampton Dellinger to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. Dellinger was confirmed in a vote of 49 to 47, as Republicans objected to Dellinger’s work at a law firm that counted Hunter Biden as one of its clients.
“As special counsel, I look forward to further advancing OSC’s important mission by working with Congress, stakeholders and the agency’s talented career staff to protect federal workers and address governmental misconduct,” said Dellinger, who will replace acting head of OSC Karen Gorman.
During his confirmation hearing, Dellinger vowed to protect employees who shine a light on government misconduct.
