Lawmaker presses witnesses on advisory groups and rebuilding federal workforce morale
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Summary
A lawmaker asked witnesses how bipartisan, topic-based advisory groups could help rebuild federal agencies; witnesses pointed to large voluntary departures from government and an initiative called Democracy Works 250 to engage stakeholders in recovery efforts.
A lawmaker questioned witnesses about how a bipartisan advisory committee of professionals could support rebuilding federal agencies, saying such a group should help restore morale and capacity.
The lawmaker thanked Congresswoman Comstock for attending and asked specifically "about your bipartisan advisory committee of professionals" and how it could aid rebuilding, prompting witnesses to propose informal, topic- or agency-based groups that would draw on retired and active professionals to brainstorm and lend expertise.
A witness who said she belongs to the Rule of Law Society described a pool of lawyers and specialists—"lawyers who have been White House counsel," those who "work at the justice department," and homeland-security experts—who could advise on relevant topics. She said these groups could be organized by agency or subject matter to provide targeted expertise.
On organizational culture, a lawmaker asked a named witness how to rebuild trust and day-to-day culture inside agencies. A witness responding for Democracy Forward said morale is weak: "when you have 335,000 people, quote, voluntarily leaving government jobs that they work so hard to get," it indicates low morale. The witness added that the Office of Personnel Management "wouldn't administer the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey this year because they know what those results would be," and described Democracy Forward's "Democracy Works 2 50" effort as a stakeholder-driven step back to plan recovery.
The witnesses emphasized engaging broad stakeholder groups, including retired professionals and those still active, as a practical way to bring experience and institutional knowledge into rebuilding efforts. They framed the approach as one of targeted, short-term advisory engagement rather than formal rehiring or sweeping structural changes.
The lawmaker closed the exchange after asking follow-up questions and shifted to a separate line of questioning about disputed large-sum savings figures.
