The Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1978 as part of the Civil Service Reform Act to uphold merit-based standards for the federal workforce and protect federal employees from prohibited personnel practices, including whistleblower retaliation. MSPB members are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to seven-year terms and can only be removed by the President for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." MSPB member Cathy Harris was confirmed by the Senate on May 25, 2022. On February 11, President Trump purported to fire Ms. Harris with a one-sentence email that did not allege any cause for her removal. Harris sued the same day.