Biden nominates MSPB vice chair

President Joe Biden nominated Raymond Limon, a senior human resources official at the Interior Department, to serve vice chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board.

MSPB has been without any Senate confirmed leadership since January 2019 and has been operating without a quorum to decide appeals since January 2017. Currently there's a backlog of more than 3,000 appeals. In MSBP's own fiscal year 2022 budget justification, the agency claimed to be in its "most dire crisis since it was established."

Without a quorum, administrative judges can issue initial decisions, but appeals can't be decided.

Limon is Biden's second pick for MSPB, which has three Senate-confirmed board members when at full capacity. Two members are needed for a quorum.

In April, Biden nominated Cathy Harris, a D.C. employment and civil rights lawyer, to lead the agency in April. She hasn't yet received a confirmation hearing in the Senate.

As chief human capital officer and deputy assistant secretary for human capital and diversity at Interior, Limon works on strategic human capital, health and safety and training policies. He's also worked at in the Civil Service HR Management office at the State Department, as the Chief Human Capital Officer at the Corporation for National Community Service and in the Office of Personnel Management as the director of the Office of Administrative Law Judges.