CRS Insight via LC – Administration Proposal to Reorganize the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), May 1, 2019.

“The U.S.Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal government’s central personnel agency, is an independent establishment in the executive branch. Created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the agency’s statutory authority is codified in 5 U.S.C. Chapter 11.In June 2018, President Donald Trump issued reorganization recommendations that included a proposal to transfer several OPM functions to the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and the General Services Administration (GSA). The President’s FY2020budget restated the reorganization proposal, including that the entire agency would be reorganized. Government Reorganization Authority Reorganizations that exceed the boundaries of one agency, or that are inconsistent with existing law, are generally accomplished through the legislative process. In some cases, Congress has changed the organization of an agency by shifting funding and functions between offices.Where statutes vest functions in the President, they may be delegated and redelegated. In general, agency heads have discretion, consistent with existing statutes, to organize and manage the day-to-day operations of their organizations. These authorities do not, however, supersede or conflict with specific statutory directives, limitations, or organizational arrangements.According to the budget proposal, “the Administration has been developing plans to execute transfers of OPM functions to GSA and the Department of Defense using a combination of existing legal authority and legislation” since June 2018. Principal OPM program offices that are proposed to be reorganized are briefly discussed below..”