John Berry, an openly
gay man who has been nominated by President Barack Obama to
head the Office of Personnel Management, encountered a friendly
confirmation hearing Thursday.
"It's obvious that
this is a joyous moment for those who are here today," said
Sen. Daniel Akaka, the Democratic senator from Hawaii who
presided over the hearing. About 50-60 people packed the room
to support Berry, including his partner, Curtis Yee, Berry's
brother and sister, and their immediate families.
If confirmed, Berry
would become the first gay person to lead OPM, which
essentially serves as the human resources department for the
federal government's 1.9 million employees. Sen. Benjamin
Cardin and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, both of Maryland,
testified on his behalf, and when Senator Akaka gave the two
congressmen an opportunity to leave the hearing after giving
their testimony, Hoyer declined, saying, "I'm sticking with
you, John." Berry served as Hoyer's legislative
director for 10 years at the beginning of his career in
Washington.
LGBT issues were not
specifically mentioned at any point during the hearing, though
Berry did speak passionately at one point about treating
employees fairly.
"The federal
government does have to treat like employees similarly," he
said. "We need to work together -- the Congress and the
executive branch -- to look at this and ensure that there is
fairness across the board."
Berry said it
was the "highest honor of my life" when the
President called and asked him to serve in
this "critically important" position. "I want to
be the model employer for the country, for the world in
fact," he said. "Everything I will do will flow from
that vision."
Following the hearing,
observers said the proceedings were noticeably warm and devoid
of conflict.
"I've been to a lot
of these hearings, and there's just an unbelievable difference
in (Berry's) ability to come in here and know exactly what he's
talking about," said Beth Moten, the legislative and
political director of the American Federation of Government
Employees, who has worked with Berry for years. Moten noted
that Republican senator George Voinovich could have been much
more of an "attack dog" but instead focused on asking
substantive questions.
"The long and the
short of it is, President Obama could not have made a better
pick for OPM," Moten added.
People familiar with
the situation say no one has raised any objections to Berry's
nomination. The final vote is likely to be taken in the next
couple weeks.