We Might Get an MSPB After All

By Deborah Hopkins, April 30, 2019

Did you hear the big news? Yesterday, President Trump nominated a third and final member to the Merit Systems Protection Board. After months of waiting and a lot of angst, B. Chad Bungard has been named to be the Vice Chairman for a term that will expire March 1, 2025.

According to the White House press release, Mr. Bungard currently serves as the Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Analytics, Review, and Oversight (OARO) at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Mr. Bungard is responsible for providing executive leadership to more than 2,000 employees, including leading the Office of Anti-Fraud Programs and the Office of Appellate Operations, where SSA’s Administrative Appeals Judges adjudicate appeals from SSA’s Administrative Law Judges. Previously, Mr. Bungard served as the General Counsel for the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and Chief Counsel to the SSA Inspector General. Mr. Bungard earlier served as the General Counsel for the United States Merit Systems Protection Board. He also spent several years on the Hill in leadership roles, where he focused on oversight and government reform. He started his career in private practice, where he primarily focused on Federal civil litigation. In addition to attaining his B.S., cum laude, from Liberty University and J.D. from Regent University School of Law, Mr. Bungard received an LL.M. in Law and Economics from George Mason University School of Law.

Earlier this year, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted out of committee MSPB nominees Dennis Dean Kirk (R) for Chairman and Julia Akins Clark (D) for Member. Committee Chair Ron Johnson announced that the Senate would wait for the third nominee to be named and voted out of committee before the first two nominees would be confirmed.

Here’s to hoping the full Senate will vote on these nominees quickly, and we get a functioning MSPB by the time school’s out. FELTG will keep you posted. Hopkins@FELTG.com