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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) is leading the effort in the Senate to cut government waste and ensure the highest performing federal employees are serving the American people.
Senator Perdue’s Modern Employment Reform, Improvement and Transformation (MERIT) Act, offers an alternative dismissal protocol for all government agencies and gives managers the option to expedite the dismissal process of bad employees. Companion legislation was introduced by Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) in the House of Representatives on January 13, 2017.
“The United States federal government is completely overgrown today, and this is no surprise since it is nearly impossible to fire bureaucrats failing to do their jobs,” said Senator Perdue. “Right now, it can take more than a year to fire or replace a civil service employee, even for poor performance or misconduct. Government employees should be held to the same standard as private sector employees. Our country is facing a $21 trillion debt crisis, and we simply cannot afford to hold onto bad actors who aren’t doing their jobs. President Trump has called on Congress to clean up government waste. Since he took office, more than 1,550 underperforming bureaucrats have been fired at the VA. It’s time that approach is applied to the entire federal government.”
“Working for the United States federal government is an honor and privilege, and most federal employees cherish this opportunity and desire to serve the American people,” said Congressman Loudermilk. “Unfortunately, many underperforming federal employees feel entitled to their positions and treat them as their right. The solution to this issue is the MERIT Act. I thank my friend and colleague, Senator Perdue, for leading the charge on this important reform.”
The MERIT Act will:
• Increase agency management’s power to remove under-performing employees.
• Expedite timelines for removal by giving employees 7-21 days’ notice of action.
• Retain employees’ right to appeal and cap appeal decision time at 30 days.
• Uphold critical whistleblower protections.
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Senator Perdue is the only Fortune 500 CEO in Congress and is serving his first term in the United States Senate, where he represents Georgia on the Armed Services, Banking, Budget, and Agriculture Committees.
Click here to go to Senator Perdue's website.