Watch the full press conference here
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) introduced the Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination (MERIT) Act in the House to reinstate federal employees who were unjustly fired by Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative that targeted federal workers. In addition to rehiring these workers, the MERIT Act gives them the back pay they deserve.
The bill currently has 66 cosponsors and endorsement from six leading labor unions, with more support building. McIver was joined this morning by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), the presidents of AFGE and NFFE, and DOGE-fired federal workers.
“I introduced the MERIT Act to ensure our federal workers get back the jobs that were unjustly taken from them by Elon Musk and his cronies. These mass firings are not about poor performance or ‘government efficiency’—they’re about Musk and Trump’s promise to gut the civil service and harm our nation,” Rep. McIver. “This reckless purge has jeopardized the safety of all Americans by removing federal workers that keep our food safe, our air and water clean, our airports operational, and our veterans healthy. I’m proud to be joined by over 65 original co-sponsors on this bill and to have the endorsement of five unions representing the federal workers.”
"Musk and Trump’s ongoing attack on federal workers is out of control. It’s causing real harm and chaos for everyday people,” said Rep. Tlaib. “The federal programs our families rely on are run by federal workers. It’s federal workers who make sure our seniors’ Social Security checks arrive on time and families in need can access their food benefits and housing assistance."
“AFGE is proud to support the MERIT Act to immediately reinstate the thousands of federal employees unjustly and unlawfully fired by Trump and his DOGE,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “These are dedicated public servants, these are veterans, and these are patriots. They provide critical services to the American people, caring for wounded veterans, protecting our parks and monuments, and finding the cures for life-threatening diseases. We must not rely on courts alone; Congress must act and not only pass the MERIT Act, but demand that any budget bill before Congress requires that these outrageous firings be rescinded. AFGE thanks Representatives McIver and Tlaib and their dozens of co-sponsors for their courageous efforts to curb Trump’s grotesque abuses of power.”
“Our union fully backs Congresswoman McIver’s MERIT Act, legislation to reinstate qualified federal workers who have been illegitimately terminated due to the Trump-Musk orchestrated mass firings of probationary employees,” said IFPTE President Matthew Biggs. “OPM’s sweeping directive to agencies to fire these highly qualified employees is not only fundamentally unfair to federal workers and a waste of government resources, it has also been deemed illegal by a federal court that issued a temporary restraining order against OPM last week and also deemed likely illegal by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. This bill should not be necessary, but it’s sadly needed to counter the Trump agenda’s flagrant disregard for fairness, lawfulness, and good governance.”
“The President callously terminating tens of thousands of federal workers under the guise of efficiency is both shameful and dangerous,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “Critical services that millions of Americans rely on will deteriorate, devastating communities and economies across the country. The Trump Administration’s politically motivated attacks on the civil service are illegal and undermine the authority of Congress to fund and oversee federal agencies. We must reinstate wrongfully terminated employees to their positions with back pay. Thank you to Congresswoman McIver for her support of federal workers.”
The MERIT Act would reinstate federal employees, including probationary workers who were recently promoted or hired, who were fired from federal agencies and departments as part of the ongoing mass layoffs. The bill would provide back pay, treat the employees as “involuntarily separated without cause,” and require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit to Congress a report on the number of workers fired and other information about the layoffs.
The MERIT Act has been endorsed by:
- American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
- International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)
- National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)
- National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- The American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Full text of the MERIT Act can be found here.
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