{"id":2601219,"date":"2026-05-11T12:27:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/comer-opens-investigation-into-taxpayer-funded-federal-employee-settlements\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T12:34:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:34:42","slug":"comer-opens-investigation-into-taxpayer-funded-federal-employee-settlements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/comer-opens-investigation-into-taxpayer-funded-federal-employee-settlements\/","title":{"rendered":"Comer opens investigation into taxpayer-funded federal employee settlements"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcomer-opens-investigation-into-taxpayer-funded-federal-employee-settlements%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601219&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has asked the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and related federal adjudicatory bodies to review and disclose records on taxpayer-funded workplace settlement payouts. In a letter to OPM Director Scott Kupor, Comer argues that a \u201csue-and-settle\u201d approach-especially during the Biden administration-may be encouraging agencies to resolve disputes through nonpublic agreements instead of pursuing decisions in court or formal rulings, perhaps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-signs-bill-that-bans-local-gun-regulations\/\" title=\"DeSantis Signs Bill That Bans Local Gun Regulations\">wasting taxpayer money<\/a> and limiting clarity.<\/p>\n<p>Comer cites Equal Employment possibility Commission figures showing mediation and settlement payouts of more then $202 million in fiscal 2023 versus about $22.6 million from litigation judgments. He also points to attorney-fee costs in Merit Systems Protection Board \u201csue-and-settle\u201d cases rising to nearly $11 million during the Biden administration compared to about $3.6 million during President Donald Trump\u2019s first term. He further claims that agencies win more than 80% of MSPB cases that reach a decision, suggesting settlements may occur even when agencies have a strong chance of prevailing.<\/p>\n<p>The letter also highlights concerns that nonmonetary settlement obligations can create operational requirements that effectively expand collective bargaining and restrict management rights without appellate review. Comer ties the settlement-heavy system to incentives that may discourage disciplining or removing underperforming employees, citing a survey indicating many supervisors feel less able to terminate employees for performance or misconduct.<\/p>\n<p>Comer requested detailed records covering Jan. 1, 2020 to the present, including settlement templates, nondisclosure agreements, communications about settlement costs, and whether <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >settlement rates influence performance metrics<\/a>. Agencies were given until may 25 to comply.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-oversight-committee\/\">House Oversight and Government Reform Committee<\/a> Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comer\/\">James Comer<\/a> (R-KY) is demanding a sweeping review of taxpayer-funded settlement payouts to federal employees, arguing that agencies may be quietly paying out millions of dollars to resolve workplace disputes they could otherwise win in court.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/1037751302\/Letter-to-OPM-Director\">letter<\/a> obtained by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> sent Monday to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/opm\/\">Office of Personnel Management<\/a> Director Scott Kupor, Comer raised concerns that a federal \u201csue-and-settle\u201d culture had ballooned under the Biden administration, creating incentives for employees to file weak or frivolous claims while discouraging managers from disciplining workers.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4560614\/congress-uncomfortable-truths-tmz-coverage\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Congress confronts uncomfortable truths in its TMZ era: \u2018I\u2019m not afraid of anybody\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4561513\/trump-jeffries-feud-grows\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump and Jeffries could become Washington\u2019s ultimate odd couple<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4561678\/aoc-loftier-goals-oval-office\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>AOC offers loftier goals than the Oval Office: \u2018My ambition is way bigger than that\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) speaks to reporters as he arrives for a deposition with former Attorney General Bill Barr on Monday, Aug 18, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mariam Zuhaib)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cCongress cannot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/push-to-rubber-stamp-elections-invites-harassment-of-officials\/\" title=\"Push To Rubber-Stamp Elections Invites Harassment Of Officials\">exercise meaningful oversight<\/a> of the federal workforce when a supermajority of disputes are resolved through opaque, non-public agreements,\u201d Comer wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The letter asks the OPM and several federal adjudicatory bodies to turn over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ftc-investigating-chatgpt-over-allegations-it-harmed-consumers-by-publishing-false-information\/\" title=\"FTC probes ChatGPT for spreading fake news, harming consumers.\">extensive records related<\/a> to settlements, mediation programs, attorney fee payouts, and internal performance metrics tied to case resolution.<\/p>\n<p>Comer pointed to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data showing the federal government secured more than <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/2023-annual-performance-report\">$202 million in taxpayer-funded<\/a> payouts to federal workers through mediation and settlements in fiscal 2023, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/office-general-counsel-fiscal-year-2023-annual-report\">compared to roughly<\/a> $22.6 million through litigation judgments.<\/p>\n<p>Comer also cited data showing attorney fee payouts in Merit Systems Protection Board \u201csue-and-settle\u201d cases climbed to nearly $11 million during the Biden administration, compared to about $3.6 million during President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n<p>The letter argued that agencies frequently settle cases despite a strong chance they would prevail if disputes proceeded to a formal ruling. Comer noted that in MSPB adverse action cases that reach a decision, agencies win more than 80% of the time.<\/p>\n<p>The oversight committee chairman suggested that internal incentives may be driving agencies and adjudicators toward rapid settlements instead of formal decisions on the merits. Comer warned that performance metrics emphasizing quick case closures could encourage settlements that increase taxpayer costs while shielding misconduct and personnel disputes from public scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>The letter also highlighted a need to reexamine certain nonmonetary settlement agreements, which can still involve \u201csubstantial operational costs,\u201d such as forcing agencies to restore prior working conditions, rescind disciplinary actions, or negotiate with unions before implementing operational changes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese prospective obligations can effectively expand the scope of collective bargaining beyond what the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute authorizes, and may constrain agency management rights \u2026 without going through the formal adjudicatory process that would subject such expansions to appellate review,\u201d Comer wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Comer further argued that the settlement-heavy system has contributed to a culture in which federal managers are reluctant to discipline underperforming employees. The letter cited a MSPB survey <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fedweek.com\/federal-managers-daily-report\/most-supervisors-not-confident-they-could-remove-problem-employees\/\">finding that roughly 40% of supervisors<\/a> believed they could remove employees for serious misconduct, while just 25% felt confident they could terminate workers for poor performance.<\/p>\n<p>The chairman requested records from the OPM, the MSPB, the EEOC, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the Office of Special Counsel covering Jan. 1, 2020, through the present.<\/p>\n<p>Among the requested materials are settlement templates, nondisclosure agreements, internal communications discussing fiscal impacts, and documents showing whether settlement rates are considered in performance evaluations for administrative judges or enforcement personnel.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4556431\/comer-records-dc-police-crime-data-manipulation\/\">COMER DEMANDS RECORDS AFTER DC POLICE LEADERS SIDELINED AMID ALLEGED CRIME DATA MANIPULATION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Comer gave agencies until May 25 to comply.<\/p>\n<p>The full letter is below:<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" title=\"Letter to OPM Director\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/1037751302\/content?start_page=1&#038;view_mode=scroll&#038;access_key=key-7kEayY8isNHvzeXCfdN0\" tabindex=\"0\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; display: block;\"> <a title=\"View Letter to OPM Director on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/1037751302\/Letter-to-OPM-Director#from_embed\" style=\"color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;\">  Letter to OPM Director <\/a> by <a title=\"View reportoftheday's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/697301857\/reportoftheday#from_embed\" style=\"color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;\"> reportoftheday <\/a> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**EXCLUSIVE -** Rep. James Comer (R-KY) is pressing for a broad review of taxpayer-funded settlement payments to federal employees, alleging agencies may be quietly paying out millions to resolve workplace disputes they could potentially win in court. In a letter he sent Monday to Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, Comer claims a \u201csue-and-settle\u201d culture has expanded under the Biden administration-encouraging employees to bring weak claims and discouraging managers from disciplining workers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2601220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP24324753096457.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[49424,32690,3976,19584,5953],"class_list":["post-2601219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-federal-employees","tag-government-transparency","tag-investigation","tag-settlements","tag-taxpayer-funded"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP24324753096457.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601219"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601223,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601219\/revisions\/2601223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2601220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}