Lawmakers Applaud Watchdog Agency for Halting Termination of Probationary Federal Workers and Urges Further Protections

Letter Comes Amid Musk-Trump Onslaught on Federal Workforce and Ahead of Court Action on Legality of Trump’s Attempt to Fire Special Counsel

Text of Letter (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led a group of 85 lawmakers in writing to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) applauding its recent recommendation to halt the termination of probationary federal workers and urging OSC to ensure all unfairly fired civil servants are immediately rehired and protected from greater abuse. This letter comes as Elon Musk and Donald Trump continue their unlawful and brazen attack on federal agencies and federal workers.

In her letter, which also comes ahead of potential action by the Supreme Court on the legality of Trump’s attempt to fire Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, Rep. Pressley urged OSC to fulfill its mission and protect every impacted federal worker. In the letter, the members of Congress also press for serious disciplinary action for agency officials who carried out Trump’s illegal mass firing scheme.

“Since Trump’s inauguration, nonpartisan civil servants have been intimidated, threatened, traumatized, and fired for no legitimate reason. An estimated 10,000 employees have already been terminated with no regard to their performance or conduct,” wrote the lawmakers. “There has never been a more cruel and baseless attack on our civil service in the history of our nation.”

OSC is an independent, nonpartisan agency with investigative and prosecutorial authority to protect federal workers from prohibited personnel practices that violate the merit system. These violations include employment discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, coercing political activity, and failure to adhere to laws, rules, or regulations.

While the OSC’s mission is often accomplished in partnership with inspectors general (IGs), Trump unlawfully fired IGs in seventeen agencies across the executive branch during his first week in office. Trump has also tried to undermine the agency and fire Special Counsel Dellinger before a judge reinstated him, and Trump’s brazen attack on the federal government’s oversight structure emphasizes the importance of OSC and its responsibility to protect our federal civil service.

This letter is endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

A copy of the letter can be found here.

Joining Rep. Pressley in sending the letter are Representatives Gabe Amo, Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Wesley Bell, Suzanne Bonamici, Julia Brownley, Shontel Brown, Troy Carter, Greg Casar, Ed Case, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Gilbert Cisneros, Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Gerald Connolly, Joe Courtney, Jasmine Crockett, Danny Davis, Madeleine Dean, Diana DeGette, Mark DeSaulnier, Veronica Escobar, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Shomari Figures, Lizzie Fletcher, Lois Frankel, Daniel Goldman, Maggie Goodlander, Raúl Grijalva, Steven Horsford, Val Hoyle, Glenn Ivey, Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, William Keating, Robin Kelly, Tim Kennedy, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Summer Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Ted Lieu, Stephen Lynch, Sarah McBride, Jennifer McClellan, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Gregory Meeks, Kweisi Mfume, Dave Min, Gwen Moore, Jerrold Nadler, Eleanor Norton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Johnny Olszewski, Ilhan Omar, Stacey Plaskett, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Jamie Raskin, Deborah Ross, Andrea Salinas, Mary Gay Scanlon, Janice Schakowsky, David Scott, Lateefah Simon, Adam Smith, Melanie Stansbury, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar, Bennie Thompson, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Lori Trahan, Sylvester Turner, Juan Vargas, Nydia Velázquez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Frederica Wilson.

Earlier this month, Rep. Pressley rallied alongside Massachusetts federal workers to stand up against the unlawful abuse and firings perpetrated by the Musk-Trump administration.

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.

• 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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