The
White
House
issued
a
statement
on
March
31
declaring
that
federal
government
policy
“prohibits
discrimination
against
federal
employees
based
on
sexual
orientation”
and
President
Bush
“expects
federal
agencies
to
enforce
this
policy.”
The
White
House
statement
appears
to
be
a
clear
rebuke
of
Scott
Bloch,
Bush’s
recent
appointee
to
head
the
U.S.
Office
of
Special
Counsel.
Bloch
startled
gay
activists
and
members
of
Congress
in
February,
when
he
said
existing
federal
law
does
not
protect
gay
federal
workers
from
sexual
orientation
discrimination
on
the
job.
The
White
House
statement
came
just
hours
after
Democratic
members
of
Congress
called
for
Bloch’s
resignation
or
removal
from
office
unless
he
reversed
his
decision
to
end
non-discrimination
protections
for
gay
federal
workers.
At
a
press
conference
at
the
U.S.
Capitol
Building,
Sen.
Barbara
Boxer
(D-Calif.)
and
four
House
members,
including
gay
Reps.
Barney
Frank
(D-Mass.)
and
Tammy
Baldwin
(D-Wisc.),
called
on
Bush
to
repudiate
Bloch’s
action.
The
five
members
of
Congress
also
called
on
Bush
and
the
U.S.
Office
of
Personnel
Management,
which
oversees
federal
personnel
policies,
to
issue
a
statement
reaffirming
that
existing
federal
law
bans
discrimination
against
federal
employees
based
on
their
sexual
orientation.
“If
Mr.
Bloch
does
not
return
to
the
previous
interpretation
and
enforce
the
law,
the
president
should
repudiate
this
policy
and
Mr.
Bloch
should
resign
or
be
removed
from
office,”
said
Baldwin.
The
other
House
members
speaking
at
the
press
conference
were
Reps.
George
Miller
(D-Calif.)
and
Eliot
Engel
(D-N.Y.).
Frank
said
he
was
pleased
that
the
White
House
responded
to
the
request
by
the
Democratic
lawmakers
—
as
well
as
to
concerns
expressed
earlier
by
Republican
members
of
Congress
over
Bloch’s
actions.
“But
the
next
question
is,
what
are
they
going
to
do
about
it?”
Frank
asked.
“This
is
the
first
step,
but
what’s
the
next
step?”
Frank
noted
that
Bloch
heads
the
only
federal
agency
with
authority
to
protect
gay
federal
workers
from
anti-gay
job
discrimination.
The
OSC,
a
small
agency
with
independent
investigative
and
enforcement
authority,
was
created
by
Congress
to
protect
federal
workers
from
discrimination
and
retaliation.
The
president
appoints
the
OSC
head
for
a
fixed,
five-year
term.
Federal
law
prevents
the
removal
of
the
OSC
head
unless
it
can
be
shown
that
he
or
she
engages
in
improper
conduct
or
violates
the
law.
White
House
spokesperson
Maria
Tamburri,
who
released
the
White
House
statement,
declined
to
comment
when
asked
what,
if
anything,
President
Bush
plans
to
do
if
Bloch
continues
to
interpret
federal
law
or
policy
differently
than
the
White
House.
“Longstanding
federal
policy
prohibits
discrimination
against
federal
employees
based
on
sexual
orientation,”
the
White
House
statement
says.
“President
Bush
expects
federal
agencies
to
enforce
this
policy
and
to
insure
that
all
federal
employees
are
protected
from
unfair
discrimination
at
work,”
the
statement
says.
Frank
said
as
many
as
50
or
more
House
members
were
expected
to
sign
a
letter
to
Bush
this
week
expressing
their
strong
objection
to
Bloch’s
action
and
urging
the
president
to
issue
a
statement
asserting
that
sexual
orientation
discrimination
in
the
federal
workforce
is
illegal.
Bloch
created
a
stir
in
February
when
he
removed
all
references
to
sexual
orientation
from
the
OSC
web
site
and
from
all
of
its
printed
documents,
including
forms
used
by
employees
to
file
discrimination
complaints.
Neither
Bloch
nor
his
spokesperson
responded
to
calls
by
press
time
seeking
comment.
Bloch
has
stated
in
media
interviews
in
recent
weeks
that
he
disagrees
with
the
past
interpretation
of
a
U.S.
civil
service
law
that
sexual
orientation
discrimination
should
be
classified
as
a
“prohibited
personnel
practice”
in
the
federal
workforce.
He
startled
and
angered
gay
civil
rights
advocates,
as
well
as
members
of
Congress,
when
he
told
the
Federal
Times
newspaper
last
month
that
gay
federal
workers
would
no
longer
receive
protection
if
they
were
fired,
demoted
or
penalized
at
work
in
a
federal
government
agency
solely
because
of
their
sexual
orientation
or
“status”
as
a
gay
person.
According
to
Bloch,
gay
federal
workers
could
only
receive
protection
from
job-related
discrimination
if
the
discrimination
was
based
on
their
“conduct,”
such
as
their
attending
a
gay
pride
parade
or
speaking
at
a
gay
rights
rally.
“It’s
nonsensical,”
said
Frank,
in
commenting
on
Bloch’s
interpretation
of
federal
personnel
law.
“It’s
very
damaging
because
he’s
the
one
who
has
the
authority
to
protect
you
if
you’re
a
federal
employee.”
“What
we
want
to
do
is
not
let
Bush
act
as
if
this
is
going
on
in
Mars
somewhere,”
said
Frank,
before
the
White
House
issued
its
statement.
“This
is
his
appointee,
and
this
is
just
terrible
what
he’s
done.”
Frank
and
his
colleagues
at
the
press
conference
acknowledged
that
they
were
uncertain
about
how,
or
whether,
Bloch
could
be
removed
from
office
should
he
refuse
to
resign.
Congress
created
the
OSC
as
an
independent
federal
agency
charged,
among
other
things,
with
protecting
“whistleblowers”
who
disclose
gross
financial
mismanagement
or
misconduct
within
government
agencies.
In
an
effort
to
protect
the
OSC
from
possible
retaliation
or
pressure
from
federal
officials
it
is
charged
with
investigating,
the
statute
creating
it
calls
for
the
president
to
appoint
the
OSC
director
for
a
fixed,
five-year
term.
The
statute
says
his
or
her
removal
can
only
be
brought
about
for
“cause,”
...
