Week 16 saw Trump laying off thousands of workers at Interior and Labor and planning to let go 80,000 VA employees taking care of veterans.
In Week 16, Trump continued to cause anxiety and suffering to federal workers by firing them, inviting them to resign, or threatening to fire them.
Trump’s staff cuts also disproportionally affect women and people of color as the agencies being targeted for the largest reductions have the highest percentages of female employees – the departments of Veterans Affairs (64%), Education (63%), and Health and Human Services (63%), according to a new report by the National Women’s Law Center.
Here’s a quick recap of Trump’s attacks on America in his 16th week in office, how these actions hurt federal workers and the American people they serve, and how We the People fight back:
May 9: In a major victory for AFGE and allies, a district court judge May 9 issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking President Trump’s unconstitutional reorganization of the federal government because these plans “flow from likely illegal directives.” Judge Susan Illston agreed with AFGE and allies’ argument that the administration exceeded its authority in implementing its large-scale reductions in force (RIFs) without consulting Congress, which created and funds these agencies through legislation.
May 8: Trump fired acting leader of FEMA one day after he told Congress he didn’t think FEMA should be eliminated.
Cam Hamilton testified that he personally did “not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Having said that, I'm not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination such as consequential as that should be made.”
May 7: Trump’s Interior Department is sending reduction in force (RIF) notices to thousands of employees including those at the National Park Service (NPS). The firings of scientists, park rangers, public land managers, and others will devastate local economies, hurt our conservation programs, and erode services like public safety and education that the American people rely on.
May 7: Trump has been in office for less than four months, but the IRS has shed more than 20% of its workforce, including 20,000 employees under the deferred resignation program. This will hurt the department’s ability to collect revenues to invest in our country and the American people.
May 7: House Republicans backed off their effort to impose massive cuts to Medicaid after public outcry and a Congressional Budget Office report that 10 million people would lose their health coverage.
May 6: In another attack on veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is still planning to let go of 80,000 employees by the end of September. These employees take care of our country’s veterans and make sure they receive the benefits they were promised.
May 6: A federal judge ruled that Trump doesn’t have the legal authority to shut down agencies created by Congress. The agencies involved in this case are the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which provides meditation, training, and facilitation to resolve disagreements between employers and unions, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which funds libraries across the country, and the Minority Business Development Agency, which promotes businesses owned by minorities. The case was brought by states. AFGE filed a similar lawsuit in April.
May 6: The Supreme Court allowed Trump to ban transgender people in the military while legal challenges continue. The high court’s decision dealt a serious blow to transgender service members and could lead to removals of decorated officers.
May 6: Public outcry led to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unfiring employees who had been RIFed a few days before, including those at National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), FDA laboratories, and the World Trade Center Health Program which provides services to 9/11 first responders and survivors.
May 6: Trump’s Department of Labor sent out RIF notices to 313 employees working at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The RIF will take effect June 6, 2025. OFCCP was created in response to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Executive Order 11246 signed in 1965 to prohibit discrimination in employment by federal contractors and subcontractors, but Trump rescinded this directive after being in office for only one day.
May 5: On top of laying off people, Trump’s Interior Department suspended contracts that monitor air quality at all national parks across the country.
May 5: Trump plans to eliminate the money saving Energy Star program that lets consumers know that the product meets the government’s energy efficiency standards. What will this mean for the American people? Their utility bills could go up.
May 5: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting shot back at Trump and his attempt to end funding for NPR and PBS, saying he can’t end funding for these popular public news outlets as they are congressionally created and funded.
“CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the CPB. “Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.”
