U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-6), U. S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8) and 20 other Democratic congressmembers still await a reply to their letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce expressing “serious concern” following the termination of employees at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg and Colorado.
The legislators requested an April 16 deadline to reply, which has come and gone.
“So far we have only received confirmation of receipt—a standard practice when Members write letters to federal departments or agencies,” said McClain Delaney’s spokesperson.
Her office has been told that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will respond “soon.”
In the letter to Sec. Howard Lutnick, the legislators wrote, “We write to express our serious concern with the Administration’s recent termination of probationary employees and its planned reduction in force (RIF) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
They questioned, “How will your plan for a reduction in force at NIST affect the agency across mission areas? Please provide details by campus, office, and project. Please include the projected impact on NIST facilities if personnel responsible for utilities and physical maintenance are fired.”
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