6 days ago
Dems seek probe of Bureau of Reclamation staff losses
Democratic senators are pressing the Interior Department to determine whether significant staff losses at the Bureau of Reclamation could put water infrastructure at risk as well as derail the agency's ability to fulfill congressional mandates.
In a Friday letter to Interior acting Inspector General Caryl Brzymialkiewicz, eight senators asked for a review of staff reductions at Reclamation, pointing to an estimated loss of up to 25 percent of the agency's staff under the Trump administration.
'We are concerned that the administration's actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions,' states the letter, led by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
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The letter cites reporting by POLITICO's E&E News that about 1,400 individuals have left Reclamation in recent months — including those in senior positions — as the result of deferred resignation programs, early retirement or voluntary separation payments.
