U.S. senators from Kansas and Missouri push for contract extension to save 1,000 jobs
The four U.S. senators from Missouri and Kansas are pushing for a longer extension of a federal contract that provides employment to more than 1,000 workers in the Kansas City area whose jobs are in peril.
A May 28 letter from Kansas Republicans Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts and Missouri Republicans Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley seeks a 60-day extension of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s contract with PAE, a private contractor that provides staffing for the National Benefits Center in Lee’s Summit and Overland Park.
The National Benefits Centers processes applications and petitions to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service, including for international adoptions. A Customs and Immigration Service contract with PAE provides more than 1,200 workers for NBC at offices in Lee’s Summit and Overland Park.
USCIS, which is funded by fees from the applications, sought to reduce its contract with PAE such that the company would have to lay off about 1,000 workers at NBC, effective on May 30.
USCIS said revenue cuts from the coronavirus pandemic has forced the agency to freeze hiring and cut contracts while it seeks $1.2 billion in emergency funding from the federal government.
Had PAE’s contract been reduced on May 30, about 1,000 workers at NBC would have lost their jobs, resulting in one of the largest mass layoffs in the Kansas City region this year.
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, announced last week that USCIS agreed to a one-month extension of the contract.
The delegation of senators from Missouri and Kansas are seeking a 60-day extension, or 30 days beyond the original 30-day extension. Their letter to the Department of Homeland Security, under which USCIS operates, said the senators recognized the challenge the pandemic posed to USCIS.
“However, as with any staffing decision, the decision at the National Benefits Center must fully take into account, the needs of the hardworking men and women who have faithfully carried out their duties at the Center,” the letter said “Workers need time to figure out where their next paycheck is coming from and how they will cover the health and welfare benefits provided as a function of their employment at the Center.”
USCIS did not immediately have a comment. PAE declined comment.
This version corrects and earlier version to reflect the correct name for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 4:23 PM.
