Shaheen Leads New Hampshire and Maine Colleagues in Opposing New OPM Rule Weakening Civilian Labor Protections at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) led U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Jared Golden (ME-02) in raising concerns around a new rule proposed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Merit Systems Protection Board that would weaken civil service protections and undermine workers’ rights at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY). In their letter, the lawmakers note that the rule would threaten workforce recruitment and retention at the Shipyard—which already needs 700 workers annually to keep pace—and potentially harm U.S. naval readiness. The lawmakers wrote, in part: “We write in strong opposition to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)’s proposed rule ‘Promoting Employee Accountability,’ Docket OPM-2025-0012 (RIN 3206-AO91). This proposed rule would weaken longstanding civil service protections that promote merit-based employment, due process and the recruitment and retention of skilled workers. Moreover, as Members of Congress who represent nearly eight thousand civilian workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, we are concerned about the proposed rule’s impact on workers essential to our national security.” They continued: “As you are no doubt aware, the men and women who work at our public shipyards are critical members of our defense industrial base, without whom the ability to repair, retrofit and refuel our country’s submarines would be in jeopardy. In our states, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) has nearly eight thousand civilian employees, creating more than $1.5 billion in annual economic impact in surrounding communities. [...] PNSY currently needs to hire over 700 workers annually to meet the Navy’s demand – which is an increase from 550 over the past two years. Further, policies that reduce workplace protections risk making federal service less attractive to qualified candidates. Due to civilian hiring quotas imposed by the Office of Personnel Management, PNSY has struggled to onboard workers and cannot risk additional delays or departures. If the Administration intends to retain this political litmus test at our public shipyards, the costs of unnecessarily losing more skilled workers through this proposed rule far outweigh any potential benefit.” They concluded: “By stripping away the procedures that keep discipline fair for civilian employees doing the work of naval readiness and refusing to consider important factors, the proposed rule introduces costly unpredictability in the workforce and needlessly undermines readiness. We are concerned this will increase attrition in the critical and experienced workforce that keeps our submarine fleet ready, ultimately harming the shipyard’s ability to meet the Navy’s needs and threatening our national security. We, therefore, ask you to withdraw OPM and MSPB’s proposed rule, ‘Promoting Employee Accountability,’ and consider alternatives that preserve federal workers’ longstanding civil service protections.” A full copy of the letter can be read HERE . As a co-chair of the U.S. Senate Navy Caucus and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and Armed Services Committee, Senator Shaheen has long advocated for New England’s shipbuilding industry and workforce, including through authorizing funding and workforce development for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Recently, Shaheen led the Maine and New Hampshire Congressional delegations in calling for the Trump Administration to explain its refusal to process an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) filed by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Metal Trades Council on behalf of its members. In the Committee-approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the enacted FY 26 NDAA , Shaheen secured full authorization for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program investments at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Shaheen’s provision to exempt employees from all four public shipyards from OPM’s civilian hiring freeze and any future hiring freezes or reductions in force was included in the FY 2026 NDAA and extended in the Committee-passed FY 27 NDAA. She also secured a number of other provisions to increase capacity at the Shipyard and improve quality of life. ###
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(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) led U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Angus King (I-ME) and U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) and Chellie Pingree (ME-01) in raising concerns around a new rule proposed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Merit Systems Protection Board that would weaken civil service protections and undermine workers’ rights at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY). In their letter, the lawmakers note that the rule would threaten workforce recruitment and retention at the Shipyard—which already needs 700 workers annually to keep pace—and potentially harm U.S. naval readiness. The lawmakers wrote, in part: “We write in strong opposition to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)’s proposed rule ‘Promoting Employee Accountability,’ Docket OPM-2025-0012 (RIN 3206-AO91). This proposed rule would weaken longstanding civil service protections that promote merit-based employment, due process and the recruitment and retention of skilled workers. Moreover, as Members of Congress who represent nearly eight thousand civilian workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, we are concerned about the proposed rule’s impact on workers essential to our national security.” They continued: “As you are no doubt aware, the men and women who work at our public shipyards are critical members of our defense industrial base, without whom the ability to repair, retrofit and refuel our country’s submarines would be in jeopardy. In our states, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) has nearly eight thousand civilian employees, creating more than $1.5 billion in annual economic impact in surrounding communities. [...] PNSY currently needs to hire over 700 workers annually to meet the Navy’s demand – which is an increase from 550 over the past two years. Further, policies that reduce workplace protections risk making federal service less attractive to qualified candidates. Due to civilian hiring quotas imposed by the Office of Personnel Management, PNSY has struggled to onboard workers and cannot risk additional delays or departures. If the Administration intends to retain this political litmus test at our public shipyards, the costs of unnecessarily losing more skilled workers through this proposed rule far outweigh any potential benefit.” They concluded: “By stripping away the procedures that keep discipline fair for civilian employees doing the work of naval readiness and refusing to consider important factors, the proposed rule introduces costly unpredictability in the workforce and needlessly undermines readiness. We are concerned this will increase attrition in the critical and experienced workforce that keeps our submarine fleet ready, ultimately harming the shipyard’s ability to meet the Navy’s needs and threatening our national security. We, therefore, ask you to withdraw OPM and MSPB’s proposed rule, ‘Promoting Employee Accountability,’ and consider alternatives that preserve federal workers’ longstanding civil service protections.” A full copy of the letter can be read HERE . As a co-chair of the U.S. Senate Navy Caucus and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and Armed Services Committee, Senator Shaheen has long advocated for New England’s shipbuilding industry and workforce, including through authorizing funding and workforce development for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Recently, Shaheen led the Maine and New Hampshire Congressional delegations in calling for the Trump Administration to explain its refusal to process an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) filed by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Metal Trades Council on behalf of its members. In the Committee-approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the enacted FY 26 NDAA , Shaheen secured full authorization for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program investments at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Shaheen’s provision to exempt employees from all four public shipyards from OPM’s civilian hiring freeze and any future hiring freezes or reductions in force was included in the FY 2026 NDAA and extended in the Committee-passed FY 27 NDAA. She also secured a number of other provisions to increase capacity at the Shipyard and improve quality of life. ###
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