For two weeks, Lisa Lederman called the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management practically whenever she had a moment to spare.
But the result was always the same, she said: Shortly after she dialed, the line would go dead.
For Lederman, a Silver Spring resident whose late husband was a federal worker, the saga began in February, after her checking account was compromised. Closing the bank account meant she stopped receiving her monthly survivor’s benefit from the federal government. And her efforts to fix the problem online weren’t working. So, she started calling, several times a day.
“My son was in the car with me on the way to school one day, and he’s like: ‘Who are you calling so early?’” said Lederman, 54. “I’m calling the office trying to get my money.”
But after weeks without success, a dispirited Lederman threw in the towel. Months later, Lederman said she still hasn’t received a deposit — or gotten in contact with OPM.
“It’s like a ghost,” she said of the office. “It’s like: ‘Who’s behind the curtain?’”
That’s a question local lawmakers are trying to answer.
On Tuesday, Lederman’s congressman, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) joined with Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) to send a letter to the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, arguing that Lederman is not alone.
“Mass firings” of human resources staff, both within federal agencies and at OPM, have exacerbated “the ongoing crisis of dysfunction throughout the federal government,” read the letter.
Forty other members of Congress signed on, including every other Maryland Democrat: Reps. Sarah Elfreth, Steny Hoyer, Glenn Ivey, April McClain Delaney, Kweisi Mfume and Johnny Olszewski Jr.
Human resources deficiencies have made matters worse for federal employees recently fired by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or federal workers who recently “ended their careers in public service earlier than planned,” according to the letter.
“At a time when they are manufacturing a crisis in the workforce, they are also disabling the personnel and human resource officers who would be dealing with all of the corresponding problems,” Raskin said in an interview Monday.
But in a statement, OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover pushed back against the allegations in the letter, and blamed problems on the prior administration.
“This letter is filled with baseless claims in an effort to make headlines. There have been no changes to the constituent services process,” Pinover wrote. “Unfortunately, the issues with this process predate this administration and OPM is actively working to modernize it to best serve the American people.”
But the letter says some former federal workers cannot access the retirement benefits they earned, or are receiving incorrect benefits. Normally, they might contact the human resources office in their former department, but in many cases, those offices have been “eliminated or significantly downsized.”
At OPM, the main human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the federal government, the situation doesn’t seem any better, according to the lawmakers’ letter. OPM’s congressional liaison officers, who worked with staffers on the Hill to address concerns from constituents, “appear to be on administrative leave,” as well as managers.
“Alarmingly, our last remaining liaison contacts at OPM – who as recently as early April reassured our staff that their casework operations were ongoing – are now gone,” states the letter.
It’s an “emergency situation,” according to the letter, which calls on Charles Ezell, the acting director of OPM, to halt all firings of OPM staff and HR staff across the federal government and pursue reinstatements.
In a statement, Chloe Scott, a spokesperson for Ivey, said that their office was notified on April 12 that “OPM has made the decision to close their constituent services department. The office now emphasizes the importance of using their web-based portal for inquiries and that their correspondence division will route inquiries as proper.”
“This is very concerning as this change affects the ability to address Member’s concerns that are shared on behalf of their constituents and is creating added delays in processing inquiries at this agency,” Scott said.
Lederman had been receiving the monthly survivor’s payments for herself and her three children since 2013, when her husband, Gordon, died after a battle with cancer. Lederman last served as a national security adviser to Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and before that was an aide to Sen. Susan Collins and a staffer for the 9/11 Commission, his wife said.
When benefit payments stopped, and Lederman couldn’t access OPM’s online portal — or contact the agency by phone — she wasn’t sure where to turn, until a friend recommended Raskin’s office.
Now, she said one of the congressman’s caseworkers is helping with her case.
Raskin said his caseworkers have been facing challenges corresponding with OPM for several weeks, and so he decided to issue a formal letter, in hopes of bringing it to the attention of agency leadership.
“I keep wondering whether these people are aware of the long-term repercussions for the federal government and its ability to recruit people,” Raskin said. “I hope that this is just a short-term problem and that OPM will get on top of it.”
Lederman said she was alarmed to learn that, amid the Trump administration’s broader cuts to the federal workforce, HR staffers may have been targeted as well.
“There have to be some reasonable heads that recognize that customer service — and being able to troubleshoot and talk to the constituents and the public — has to be part of staffing,” she said.
Lederman said her family has been getting by since the payments stopped several months ago, but they are being more frugal than usual, and losing out on funds that would normally go into savings.
“It’s part of my budget. Part of my budget goes into savings and for a rainy day. And I have a kid who’s going off to college,” she said.
Lederman said she was glad to hear that members of Congress were raising awareness about the HR issues. She hopes that it will help not just her, but other citizens struggling to access benefits, including those who may be disadvantaged by language barriers or technology hurdles.
“It’s like they’re holding my money hostage,” she said.
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