This story was updated on Tuesday, July 14 at 12 p.m. to reflect statements from the Senior Executives Association. 

The Trump administration will cancel the Presidential Rank Awards this year, citing the economic uncertainty created by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“In view of the federal government’s ongoing mission critical efforts to reopen the U.S. economy and government offices, and recognizing the financial strain facing many Americans during this time, OPM will recommend to the White House that the PRA awards and bonus payments not be granted to federal employees in fiscal 2020,” John York, a senior OPM policy adviser, wrote in a Monday evening email obtained by Federal News Network.

The email was addressed to members of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council. OPM did not respond to a request for comment earlier Monday.

The Presidential Rank Awards are considered the highest honor for career civil servants. Just 1% of members of the Senior Executive Service earn a Distinguished Rank Award in any given year, while 5% of executives may earn a Meritorious Rank Award. The awards come with a cash bonus worth 20-to-35% of executives’ salaries.

The Senior Executives Association, which often hosts the Presidential Rank Award ceremonies, described the bonuses as a “modest incentive” for career leaders, “who are often paid less than their private sector counterparts, to remain in public service.”

OPM is still asking agencies to collect candidates this year for the awards. Candidates for 2020 will be up for consideration during the following year’s PRA cycle, York wrote. Agencies must send their lists of PRA candidates to OPM by the end of the month.

“Persons eligible for award[s] in fiscal 2020 will maintain their eligibility for the next award cycle.  Likewise, the agencies may amend and/or supplement the fiscal  2020 agency candidate list in advance of the next award cycle as OPM will instruct,” he wrote. “At such time, agencies will be asked to submit the traditional documentation for the candidate packages and commission background investigations. To be clear, OPM is asking agencies to avoid at present both the labor of the application process and the expenditure of costs for background investigations for FY2020 in keeping with OMB guidance.”

According to York, OPM had suspended the collection of nominations for this year’s awards in the earliest days of the pandemic back in March.

Business Insider was the first to report the news of the PRA cancellation.

Bob Corsi, SEA’s interim president, said canceling the Presidential Rank Awards perpetuated a popular sense that the federal workforce was made of “faceless bureaucrats,” and he dismissed the idea that hosting the PRAs sent a bad message to the American public.

“As our nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, having skilled, experienced, and motivated career federal leaders is necessary for effectively responding to the national emergency,” Corsi said Tuesday in a statement. “Leaders in the federal service have worked in atypical conditions for nearly five months to deliver necessary stimulus to protect the American economy, provide insight on healthcare advancements and the virus’s spread, and provide various essential services to the American people when they have needed it most. Now more than ever, we should be recognizing the individuals who have made these heroic efforts possible.”

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who represents one of the nation’s largest concentrations of federal employees, said the administration’s decision was particularly ill-timed in light of the work feds have been called on to perform during the pandemic.

“The Presidential Rank Awards recognize and reward federal employees who make government work better for the American people through hard work and innovation,” Beyer wrote in a Tweet Monday evening. “What a terrible time to end a proud, successful tradition just so Trump can trash civil servants for the thousandth time.”

Last year’s awards recognized a wide variety of senior executives, including several top career civil servants for their contributions during a crisis of a different kind — the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

In a typical year, OPM and the White House recognize more than 100 senior executives with these honors.

“The continued exemplary efforts of the federal workforce are not going unnoticed. Federal employees are today serving fellow citizens in need, many of whom have suffered financially or faced unemployment,” York wrote. “OPM joins the administration in continuing to salute the extraordinary efforts being made during these unprecedented times.”

The Obama administration also canceled the awards in 2013. Bonuses were suspended due to budget constraints, though OPM continued to accept nominations. The awards returned in 2015, along with the bonuses, after a year’s hiatus.

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