The Office of Personnel Management experienced a disruption to its information technology systems due to a data center outage at OPM’s headquarters last week, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.
“Significant OPM programs and missions were impacted for multiple hours last week during an incident that impacted OPM information technology,†Stephen Billy, deputy chief of staff at OPM, told the publication.
A spokeswoman for the agency said OPM found no sign of malicious activity related to the incident and that “some of the backup systems failed to operate as designed.†A source told the publication Acting OPM Director Margaret Weichert is expected to meet with senators on Wednesday to discuss the incident and status of the proposed reorganization of OPM into the General Services Administration.
Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Gerry Connolly (D-Md.) of the House Oversight and Reform Committee wrote a letter to Weichert on Monday, expressing concerns over the administration’s proposed OPM-GSA merger. The two lawmakers also requested for Weichert to provide additional information on the proposed move by submitting transcribed interviews with Michael Rigas, deputy director of OPM; Dustin Brown, deputy assistant director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, and Peter Warren, associate director at OMB by the end of July.
