Latest news with #Kupor
GMA Network
an hour ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
US to allow federal workers to promote religion in workplaces
WASHINGTON - Federal employees may discuss and promote their religious beliefs in the workplace, the Trump administration said on Monday, citing religious freedoms protected by the U.S. Constitution. Agency employees may seek to "persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views" in the office, wrote Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. government's human resources agency. Supervisors can attempt to recruit their employees to their religion, so long as the efforts aren't 'harassing in nature,' according to Kupor's statement. Agencies can't discipline their employees for declining to talk to their coworkers about their religious views. The statement represents the latest effort of the six-month-old Republican Trump administration to expand the role of religion in the federal workplace. Courts have long held that employers cannot suppress all religious expression in the workplace, but can lawfully curb conduct that is disruptive or imposes an undue hardship as long as it applies equally to members of any religion. The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects individuals' rights to practice their religion while preventing the government from favoring one religion or another or religion in general. OPM in mid-July said agency workers can get permission to work from home or adjust their hours to accommodate religious prayers, after previously demanding that workers report to offices fulltime. The new statement cites President Donald Trump's February executive order calling on agencies to eliminate the "anti-Christian weaponization of government." That order directs cabinet secretaries to identify federal actions hostile to Christians. Trump has embraced the conservative Christian world view and promoted policies that speak to concerns that their religious liberty is under attack. Federal employees can also set up prayer groups in the workplace, so long as they don't meet during work hours, Kupor's statement said. The memo references Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on a person's religion or religious practices. Kupor in the memo said that means the law requires employers to allow workers to proselytize, organize prayer groups on non-working time, and display religious icons. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces Title VII, has said that proselytizing in the workplace can amount to unlawful religious harassment if it is unwelcome and is so severe or pervasive that it creates a hostile or abusive work environment. "A consensual conversation about religious views, even if quite spirited, does not constitute harassment if it is not unwelcome," the agency said in a 2008 guidance document. Kupor's memo is not legally binding, and any court that reviews it could disagree about the scope of Title VII's protections. But the memo could be difficult to challenge directly in court, as judges in many past cases have said they lack the power to review internal agency documents. — Reuters
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Trump's new human resource czar distances himself from Elon Musk, aims to ‘institutionalise' DOGE
The US government's new human resources chief, Scott Kupor, has said that he had no personal ties with tech billionaire and President Donald Trump's former advisor Elon Musk, as he pledged to faithfully execute the agenda of the Republican leader and said he wants to 'institutionalise' DOGE's (Department of Government Efficiency) pursuit of 'operational efficiency'. Kupor, who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management earlier this month, has said that he has 'zero relationship with Elon Musk'. 'I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life,' he said. Kupor assumes the role as the federal civil service is reeling with staff cuts and mass firing under DOGE, which was earlier being led by Musk. If you're interested in hearing more about our areas of focus at OPM, have a look at the internal message I sent the team today. Lots of big stuff to focus on. — Scott Kupor (@skupor) July 21, 2025 Kupor, who is a former partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, raised objections over some of Musk's methods and the scale of his proposed cuts in the federal government via DOGE. Kupor questioned the method Musk used to push civil servants to report on their weekly progress. But the new human resource czar said the stringent efficiency measure would continue. 'What [DOGE] did was catalyse the start of a process. Now, we have to actually institutionalise those things and pursue operational efficiency,' Kupor said, reported Financial Times. He said that he told resident Trump and others at the White House that his job is 'to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can. But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do.' Musk, who helped Donald Trump with nearly $300 million in funding to win the US presidential election in November, led DOGE to slash budget and cut the federal workforce until his exit in May amid a rift with President Trump over the latter's 'Big, Beautiful bill'.
New York Post
21-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
OPM keen on using AI to increase ‘efficiency' of jobs — as federal agency cuts staff by one-third
WASHINGTON — The Office of Public Management is interested in using AI to increase 'efficiency' of jobs in its quest to downsize the US government, the agency's new director told reporters Monday. Scott Kupor, a former venture capitalist, said he has a 'Silicon Valley' mentality when it comes to motivating employees and maximizing performance, and is looking to integrate AI into some of the agency's tasks. 'I view AI as probably the most significant disinflationary technology that I think we have seen yet today,' Kupor told The Post in a meeting with reporters. Advertisement 'What I mean by that is basically AI, however you deploy it, it's not gonna replace everybody's jobs, but I think AI can massively increase the efficiency of a lot of jobs, and certainly, as we know, it'll probably create new job opportunities as well.' 3 Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, hopes to integrate AI into the federal agency. AP While AI won't be used to cut jobs outright, the agency has been working to drastically downsize its number of employees. Advertisement OPM is on track to cut one-third of its staff by Dec. 31, largely through voluntary departures, from 3,110 employees to around 2,000. The number of contractors used by OPM is also set to be slashed from 1,200 to about 600, the agency said. Kupor mentioned customer service and information combing — like going through the tens of thousands of comments the agency gets — as some of the tasks potentially fit for artificial technology. While the hard writing of OPM is not what he's looking to change with AI, Kupor said its 'hard to imagine' that in a few years we won't be able to 'significantly increase the efficiency' of the comment reading process 'by at least having some of that summarization, some of the kind of information gathering, information dissemination being enhanced by AI.' Advertisement 3 The Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the US Office of Personnel Management in Washington, DC. Getty Images As the agency's new head, he said he wants OPM employees to be 'prepared' for work in an AI 'forward way' — as President Trump has made clear he wants the US to be the global leader in AI innovation. 'I think it's a good bet that the types of jobs that we will need five or 10 years from now will be different. The types of skills we will need will be different. And I'd like to make sure that as we think about … the recruitment and talent pipeline for government,' he said. Kupor wouldn't reveal which AI companies he was most keen on using in the US government, as it's an ongoing conversation with his team. Advertisement Other government agencies have also been using AI to be more cost-efficient, especially after the Trump administration came out with policies eliminating barriers for agencies to use the technology. The Department of Veterans Affairs uses the tech to standardize care, while the Department of Justice uses it to analyze the drug market, according to a White House readout published in April. 3 Kupor said OPM will work with DOGE as much as it benefits the agency. United States Office of Personnel Management Kupor said he hopes that the OPM mindset of government efficiency transcends to other federal agencies, and that the Department of Government Efficiency was the 'catalyst' for some of the movements towards downsizing. 'To the extent that they're helpful in like the overall goals and objectives we have, then we're happy to partner with people, but we're going to ultimately make the decisions that we think are in the best interests of OPM,' Kupor said of the agency working with DOGE after Elon Musk's departure. On AI, he said he wants 'to change the mindset here' and 'we'll see if other people across the government agree where we ought to be willing to experiment with some things in a contained area with contained risk.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump appointee Scott Kupor resigns from some a16z funds, boards ahead of confirmation as head of OPM, documents show
Scott Kupor, the first hire at Silicon Valley venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, is stepping away from active management of dozens of funds but maintaining passive stake in nearly 40 other firm funds, as the Senate weighs his nomination by Trump to lead the Office of Personnel Management. Kupor will resign as managing partner from a16z, as the firm is known, and has already given up his managing member seat in 32 a16z funds, including several of the firm's bio and seed funds, according to a letter he wrote to the OPM ethics official that was made public ahead of his confirmation hearing on Thursday. He will remain a passive investor in 38 other funds, according to the letter, though he will forfeit any carried interest that is unvested when he is appointed. As part of his appointment, Kupor will also divest from positions in Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and other companies, and resign from several board positions in a16z portfolio companies, including Formation Bio, a startup that uses AI to speed up drug development; Talkiatry, a psychiatric care startup; Pearl Health, a primary care organization software startup; and Foursquare, the geolocation and social networking company. He will also step off the board of Alice Walton's Heartland Whole Health Institute, a non-profit organization founded by Walton in 2019 to rework the healthcare payment and health care delivery system, and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Kupor is among several prominent Silicon Valley investors and entrepreneurs who have been tapped for roles in the Trump administration, along with AI and Crypto czar David Sacks of Craft Ventures, and Senior White House AI policy advisor Sriram Krishnan, who previously worked at a16z. While federal ethics regulations via the Office of Government Ethics often require Cabinet appointees to divest from any companies with financial interests that either pose a conflict of interest or lead to the perception of one, some Trump picks, such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have kept their day jobs by working with the White House as 'special government employees' who can only serve for 130 days. Kupor declined to comment for this story. An a16z spokeswoman said that Kupor's board seats will be covered by other people at the firm. Thursday morning Kupor had his confirmation hearing with the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, in which he testified to Republican and Democratic members and laid out his general plans and the approach he will take to the role. Kupor was selected by Trump in December to lead the Office of Personnel Management. Kupor was the first hire of Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz in 2009, shortly after they set up the venture capital firm. Both investors had publicly supported and donated to Trump's campaign in 2024, and, since the election, Andreessen has spent a significant amount of time at Mar-a-Lago, and Vice President J.D. Vance spoke at the firm's American Dynamism Summit in D.C. in March. Kupor's hearing on Thursday became contentious at times, as Senators pressed Kupor to comment on the firings and cuts that have disrupted numerous federal agencies in the months since President Donald Trump has taken office. Kupor refrained from speaking about any of the terminations but repeatedly said that he believed it was important to treat federal employees in a way that 'respects the dignity and humanity' of workers. 'I've been very clear in my written responses, in the conversations that we've had, that I think the process is one that requires transparency and communication, and we need to recognize and respect the humanity of the workforce,' Kupor said calmly during the hearing in response to questions. In prepared statements to the Committee, Kupor emphasized his time at a16z and his role in building it from a 3-person $300 million fund to a 600-person $45 billion financial institution. 'Yes, I come from the private sector and, yes, I recognize that the government is not the private sector. Rightly so, the government may have different goals and objectives that should inform our thinking,' Kupor said. 'But the fundamentals of organizational design are the same, whether in non-profits, the government or in the private sector. And this is where I believe that my professional experiences make me uniquely suited for this role.' This story was originally featured on
