Lawmakers Press OPM for Answers on Delayed Federal Employee Survey
A group of 23 congressional Democrats is urging the Trump administration to explain how and when it plans to restart the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), a long-running questionnaire used to measure employee engagement, workplace conditions, and morale across the federal workforce.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) canceled the survey in 2025, saying it needed to revise questions to align with the administration’s priorities and place greater emphasis on performance and efficiency. The agency also removed diversity-related survey data and reduced demographic information available through its federal workforce database, according to Government Executive.
In a letter sent to OPM Director Scott Kupor, lawmakers led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia said the cancellation came during a period of unprecedented workforce disruption and eliminated a key source of insight into employee experiences.
According to the lawmakers, hundreds of thousands of federal employees left government service in 2025, contributing to a significant decline in the size of the federal workforce.
Workforce Data Seen as Critical to Shaping the Future of Federal Work
The survey has long been used by agencies to identify workplace challenges, measure employee engagement, and guide management decisions. It also serves as an oversight tool for Congress, researchers, and federal workforce experts.
Lawmakers argued that the absence of the survey leaves agencies without one of the government’s most important sources of employee feedback at a time when federal workplaces are undergoing significant change.
The group requested details on the planned 2026 survey, including its launch timeline, proposed questions, and any changes to how employee responses will be collected.
OPM Plans New Focus on Efficiency and Employee Expectations
Kupor has previously said OPM is redesigning the survey to include more detailed questions focused on employee expectations, performance, and efficiency. The agency has also pointed to quarterly employee “pulse surveys” as an alternative source of workforce feedback.
However, unlike FEVS, the results of those surveys do not include the full questionnaire or underlying response data, limiting outside analysis.
The annual survey has been conducted for decades and is required under federal law. After declining participation rates, OPM expanded the survey in 2018 from a sample-based approach to one sent to all eligible federal employees.
With the survey’s traditional spring administration period now passed, lawmakers are pressing for clarity on whether the federal government’s primary workforce feedback tool will return in 2026 and what role it will play in shaping the future of work across federal agencies.
