Federal Government Policy and Business

Cobert to Trump: Focus on ‘Holistic’ Civil Service Reforms, Not Hiring Freeze

Government Executive: President Obama’s federal personnel chief is optimistic the reforms the administration has put into place are so ingrained in the way agencies do business that they will carry on well into the future, though she expressed concern President-elect Trump’s proposed hiring freeze will undermine the smooth functioning of government.

Acting Office of Personnel Management Director Beth Cobert said in an interview Thursday the Trump administration should wait until it gets into office and can fully assess where specific needs are before making workforce decisions. The number of federal government employees has not materially grown for years, she said -- it remains about the same size as it was in 1966 -- and workers across agencies are doing “critical operating jobs every single day.”

Read article