Beyer Statement On Trump’s Illegal Mass Firings Of Federal Workers

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia congressional district with one of the largest concentrations of federal workers in the U.S. House, issued the following statement today on illegal, unnecessary mass firings of federal workers announced by the Trump Administration and Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought:

"The mass firings Russ Vought and the Trump Administration announced today are cruel, illegal, and yet another attack on our economy. This is a disaster for Virginia, intentionally inflicted by President Trump and his Republican allies. These firings are also already being fought in court.

"This President is killing jobs at a disastrous rate, while forcing the continuation of a government shutdown that would end if he simply agreed to prevent skyrocketing health care price increases. Instead of doing that, however, Trump and Vought are illegally firing more workers, hurting essential services for the American people, and damaging our economy in Virginia and across the country. Vought is also further abusing power by corruptly freezing hundreds of energy infrastructure projects, which will kill even more jobs and raise electricity prices across the nation.

"Everyone should understand that a government shutdown does not require or enable mass firings of federal workers, in fact it forbids it. President Trump and Russ Vought have been firing federal workers by the thousands continuously since the beginning of the DOGE disaster, and as numerous Republicans have admitted, they plainly hoped to use the pretext of a shutdown to fire even more American workers. But directing these firings during a shutdown violates the law, and the laws they are violating are criminal statutes.

"This Administration's corruption is only matched by its willingness to sabotage our economy and raise prices for the American people. Trump and Vought's lawless contempt for Congress' powers under the Constitution will also make it harder to get the bipartisan deal that is needed to end this shutdown.

"I will continue doing all I can to support and protect federal workers and contractors in Northern Virginia and across the country. To those workers, I say again: you deserve so much better than this, and while I know this is yet another dark moment in a dark year, please do not lose hope. The country still sees and values your service, and your work is not in vain."