Rep. Garcia presses OPM to withdraw forced-ranking rule

Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is pressing OPM to withdraw its proposed rewrite of federal employee performance appraisal rules, calling the plan a threat to morale, objectivity, and government effectiveness, as reported by Federal News Network.

In a 26 March 2026 letter to OPM Director Scott Kupor, Garcia argued the proposal would replace merit-based evaluation with a quota-driven system that could force managers to assign lower ratings even when workers meet or exceed standards. He also said the rule would weaken procedural safeguards by removing grievance options for employees challenging ratings.

The memo targets OPM’s 24 February proposed rule, “Performance Appraisal for General Schedule, Prevailing Rate, and Certain Other Employees,” which would remove the current ban on forced distribution of ratings, eliminate Level 2 from the summary-level system, require biennial certification of agency appraisal systems, and end the mandatory review of Level 1 ratings. OPM has said the changes would make ratings more rigorous and improve accountability. Reporting by Government Executive and Federal News Network said the proposal could limit how many federal workers receive top marks in annual reviews.

Garcia disputed both the policy rationale and the likely outcome. His letter says forced ranking systems have been abandoned in parts of the private sector because they can damage collaboration, morale, and retention. He also questioned whether the proposal is consistent with the statutory requirement that performance appraisal systems allow accurate evaluation based on objective criteria.