{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.feinstein.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=0A38EEDD-B2B0-427F-A270-3BEC6FB00A8E", "Senators to Trump Administration: Protect Rights of  Transgender Federal Employees", "2018-12-19", "2018", "2018-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Dianne Feinstein", "F000062", "www.feinstein.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WashingtonSenator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and 28 Senate colleagues called on the Trump administration to restore guidelines for protecting the privacy and rights of transgender federal employees.\r\nLast month, the Office of Personnel Management replaced information on its website that provided supervisors with guidelines regarding transgender federal employees with new guidance that omits essential information, including any reference to transgender individuals.\r\nThe original guidance addressed common questions that agency managers and federal employees had raised with OPM, identifying issues and core concepts specific to understanding rights and fair treatment of transgender employees, the senators wrote. The new guidance that replaced it omits essential information, including any reference to transgender individuals, greatly diminishing OPM's ability to educate federal agencies on anti-discrimination policies and retain a productive federal workforce as diverse as the people it serves.\r\nFull text of the letter follows:\r\nDecember 18, 2018\r\nThe Honorable Margaret Weichert  Acting Director  U.S. Office of Personnel Management  1900 E Street, NW  Washington, DC 20415\r\nDear Acting Director Weichert:\r\nWe write to express our serious concern that guidance meant to ensure transgender federal employees are treated with dignity and respect has been removed from the website of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). We request that you immediately make the guidance available online, so that managers, supervisors, and employees are equipped with accurate information and fully understand their responsibilities in the federal workplace.\r\nThe original guidance addressed common questions that agency managers and federal employees had raised with OPM, identifying issues and core concepts specific to understanding rights and fair treatment of transgender employees. The new guidance that replaced it omits essential information, including any reference to transgender individuals, greatly diminishing OPM's ability to educate federal agencies on anti-discrimination policies and retain a productive federal workforce as diverse as the people it serves.\r\nIn a statement last month, 178 companies, including Microsoft, IBM, Google, and many others, affirmed that diversity and inclusion are good for business, while discrimination significantly harms transgender people and imposes enormous productivity costs. In the Business Statement on Transgender Equality, business leaders noted the importance of guidance and other resources to support their transgender employees, citing that more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 have clear gender identity protections; two-thirds have transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage; hundreds have LGBTQ+ and Allies business resource groups and internal training efforts.\r\nOn June 25, 2018, the OPM Director's Blog issued a statement celebrating LGBT Pride Month 2018, which committed OPM to human capital management strategies that attract, develop and retain a high performing, engaged and diverse Federal workforce where each employee feels valued and respected as a member of the Federal family. The statement also encouraged all Federal employees to further commit themselves to the progress we've made in creating a culture that is aware, accepting, inclusive, and respectful of our diversity.\r\nWe hope that you will continue this commitment by making the original guidance supporting transgender employees available online in order to promote safe and positive workplace conditions across the federal government. We also request information on what further actions OPM will take under your leadership to ensure the privacy and rights of transgender federal employees.\r\nWe appreciate your consideration and look forward to receiving your prompt response on this important issue.\r\nSincerely,\r\nDianne Feinstein  United States Senator\r\nTammy Baldwin  United States Senator\r\nPatty Murray  United States Senator     \r\nRichard Blumenthal  United States Senator\r\nMaria Cantwell  United States Senator\r\nMazie K. Hirono  United States Senator\r\nKirsten Gillibrand  United States Senator\r\nEdward J. Markey  United States Senator\r\nChristopher A. Coons  United States Senator\r\nPatrick Leahy  United States Senator\r\nAmy Klobuchar  United States Senator\r\nSheldon Whitehouse  United States Senator\r\nChris Van Hollen  United States Senator\r\nMargaret Wood Hassan  United States Senator\r\nJack Reed  United States Senator\r\nRichard J. Durbin  United States Senator\r\nTina Smith  United States Senator\r\nBenjamin L. Cardin  United States Senator\r\nKamala D. Harris  United States Senator\r\nTammy Duckworth  United States Senator\r\nCatherine Cortez Masto  United States Senator\r\nChristopher S. Murphy  United States Senator\r\nRobert Menendez  United States Senator\r\nBernard Sanders  United States Senator\r\nJeffrey A. Merkley  United States Senator\r\nElizabeth Warren  United States Senator\r\nTim Kaine  United States Senator\r\nRobert P. Casey, Jr.  United States Senator\r\nThomas R. Carper  United States Senator\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.feinstein.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=0A38EEDD-B2B0-427F-A270-3BEC6FB00A8E"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6304920427501202, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}