Make Hatch Act Enforcement Public for Top Appointees

Career federal workers who break the Hatch Act face an independent discipline board.

A letter to your members of Congress. Facts checked September 24, 2026.

The explainer behind this letter Hatch Act The law that keeps federal workers out of partisan politics

The Letter

Subject Co-Sponsor the Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act

The Hatch Act should mean the same thing for a Cabinet secretary as it does for a mail carrier. Right now it does not. In August 2026, the Office of Special Counsel charged a Postal Service worker and a VA employee before the Merit Systems Protection Board. When the office finds that a senior appointee broke the same law, the only penalty left is whatever the President decides, and the public never learns why a case was dropped.

The office once told reporters that in one four-year span, 17 political appointees violated the Act and one was penalized. Voters deserve to see those decisions.

Please co-sponsor the Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act, H.R. 1688 in the House and S. 806 in the Senate. It would require the office to report every complaint against a political appointee to Congress and publish its reasons whenever it declines to seek discipline.

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Call Your Representative

U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

I'm calling to ask my representative to co-sponsor the Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act, H.R. 1688.
The Office of Special Counsel disciplines rank-and-file federal workers before an independent board, but findings against senior appointees go only to the President.
The office once said 17 political appointees violated the Act in four years and one was penalized.
The bill would make the office report every complaint against a political appointee to Congress and explain when it declines to seek discipline. I'm a constituent and I vote.

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The Facts Behind the Ask

17 to 1 political appointees who violated the Hatch Act in a four-year span versus the one penalized, per figures OSC gave reporters (source)
Aug 2026 OSC charged a Postal Service worker and a VA employee before the Merit Systems Protection Board (source)
April 2025 OSC went back to sending findings against White House staff to the President instead of the discipline board (source)
H.R. 1688 would require OSC to report appointee complaints to Congress and explain each decision not to seek discipline (source)

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