Pressley Has Led Efforts in Congress to Halt Terminations and Protect Federal Workers

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement after a federal judge ordered multiple government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to immediately re-hire workers unlawfully fired by Elon Musk and DOGE.

Last month, Rep. Pressley led 85 lawmakers in writing to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) urging OSC to ensure all unfairly fired civil servants are immediately rehired and protected from greater abuse.

“This is a victory for tens of thousands of dedicated civil servants and the people who depend on the essential services they provide. Whether you’re a VA healthcare worker, park ranger, or administrator of life-saving food assistance, these workers are damn good at what they do and our communities are better served by having them on the job,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “With Musk and Trump continuing their cruel and baseless assault on our federal workforce, this ruling sends a powerful message that we will not back down, and we will keep pushing until every federal worker can continue their essential work.”

Congresswoman Pressley has been a steadfast advocate for the rights and protections of federal workers, the defense of the essential services they provide to the American public, and the necessary oversight and efficiency of the federal government.

• On March 6, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the reinstatement of more than 5,600 probationary federal workers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that had been wrongfully terminated in Trump and Musk’s onslaught of attacks on federal workers.
• On March 4, 2025, Rep. Pressley welcomed Claire Bergstresser, an Everett constituent, dedicated public servant, AFGE union member, and former HUD worker who was unjustly terminated as part of Musk and Trump’s assault on federal agencies.
• On February 28, 2025, Rep. Pressley led 85 lawmakers in a letter urging the Office of Special Counsel to immediate reinstate and expand protections for all unfairly fired federal workers.
• In a House Oversight Committee hearing on February 25, 2025, Rep. Pressley condemned Elon Musk’s abuse of government efficiency through the fraudulent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied with Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member Maxine Waters, and advocates to protest Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s unlawful takeover of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
• On February 11, 2025, in a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley criticized the Trump-Musk administration for halting the critical work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with crypto scams on the rise.
• On February 10, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming the Trump Administration’s harmful cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to support hospitals, universities, and research institutions conducting lifesaving research.
• On February 10, 2025, as Trump and Musk threaten to dismantle the essential work of the U.S. Department of Education, Rep.  Pressley delivered a powerful floor speech to affirm the role of public education in American democracy.
• On February 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied outside the U.S. Department of Treasury to protest Elon Musk’s unlawful assault on federal agencies and our democracy.
• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement slamming Trump’s illegal freeze on federal grants and loans and its harmful impact on vulnerable communities.

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