WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of U.S. senators, led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), is pressing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for answers following a controversial memo encouraging federal agencies to bypass standard HR recommendations and offer the highest permissible salary of $195,200 to Schedule C political appointees.
In a letter dated May 28, 2025, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joined Senator Murray and five other lawmakers in expressing grave concerns about the memo’s implications. They criticized the Trump administration’s simultaneous push to remove career federal employees while allegedly installing less-qualified individuals in high-paying positions.
“You issued a memo to the heads and acting heads of departments and agencies encouraging them to offer the maximum available salary to political appointees and sidestep the regular hiring process,” the senators wrote, emphasizing that such actions undermine career civil servants.
The senators highlighted that agencies may now set starting salaries for political hires at up to $195,200, nearly five times the median individual income in the United States. They stressed that this decision, coupled with extensive layoffs of seasoned government employees, raises concerns about favoritism and misuse of taxpayer funds.
The lawmakers called the situation an “egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars,” and stated, “Padding the pockets of political operatives while firing food safety inspectors is nothing short of massively wasteful.”
The memo, they argued, appears to prioritize placing unvetted loyalists over experienced public servants in roles critical to the federal government’s operations. They also questioned whether sufficient safeguards exist to prevent cronyism and stressed the potential negative impacts on government functions, including food safety inspections and wildfire management.
Joining Fetterman and Murray in signing the letter were Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The senators requested detailed information from the OPM, including justifications for bypassing HR protocols, details on appointees receiving the maximum salaries, and the costs borne by taxpayers for such appointments.
The letter underscores mounting scrutiny over the administration’s handling of federal government staffing, placing the OPM memo at the center of a broader debate about accountability and efficiency in public service.
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