WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Presidential Management Alumni Association (PMAA) and 500+ members and alumni of the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program sent a letter to Congress urging the passage of Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.) andSenator Jeff Merkley’s TALENTS Act. Their legislation would codify the PMF program, a critical tool used for decades to attract young, talented professionals into public service. 

The program alumni and members outline core benefits of the PMF program, including fostering innovation in government, nurturing leadership and management competencies, and delivering for all Americans. The alumni and members wrote in the letter: “For almost 50 years, the merit-based PMF Program has served as the federal government’s premier leadership development program and a highly successful tool for recruiting our nation’s most talented individuals into the next generation of government leaders.” 

Text of Full Letter (PDF)

The letter continued: “Despite its success, the PMF Program was never codified into law, and on February 19, 2025, President Trump terminated the program…This action was short-sighted: now more than ever, the Legislative and Executive Branches need the fresh perspectives and highly talented public servants the PMF Program provides to ensure our government is prepared to tackle the enormous challenges facing the American people today and in the future.” 

In a conversation with Federal News Network today about the letter, Senator Kim spoke about the impact of losing the PMF program: “It is going to hurt our ability to have the kind of talented, effective and frankly efficient workforce in our government that this administration and others say that they want. I really worry that this is going to not just hurt our current workforce, but set us back a generation.” 

The PMF Program has been a flagship leadership development program in which a cohort of a few hundred individuals is placed in government agencies each year following a competitive and rigorous process. At the end of their two-year fellowship, many Fellows go on to become high-ranking Federal officials.  

The TALENTS Act would codify the regulations that structured the PMF Program for over four decades to prevent it from being eliminated by presidential Executive Orders, make changes to improve the program, and empower Congress’ role to support and protect the program. The legislation is endorsed by the Partnership for Public Service, The Volcker Alliance, and the PMAA, which represents and supports PMF Program alumni across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. 

Senator Kim participated in the PMF Program at the start of his career in public service working in national security and diplomacy at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon. Prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate, Senator Kim represented New Jersey’s 3^rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives where he introduced multiple bills to promote and encourage public service, including through AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and pipeline programs into local and federal service.  

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