Federal workers gathered in Washington, D.C. last week during the most critical time in their federal careers as Presidents Trump and Elon Musk unleased an unprecedented assault on the public service, agency missions, and democratic institutions.
Attending our union’s annual legislative conference, AFGE members found strength in each other and inspired one another to fight back. They resolved to stand together to protect our values and the American people they serve.
If you missed the 2025 Legislative Conference, here are some highlights of the event:
1. We rallied to protect the public service
Government workers were joined by members of Congress and allies at the Upper Senate Park on Feb. 11 to defend the civil servants and the work they do. Members of Congress and allies stood in solidarity with federal workers and vowed to continue the fight against Trump and Musk’ efforts to destroy our government and its ability to serve the American people.
2. AFGE President Everett Kelley fired up the crowd
Addressing the legislative conference, Kelley called the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Musk a scam and urged members to build a bipartisan firewall in Congress.
“DOGE is a scam that lets Musk, with his truly massive conflicts of interest, to slash safety rules, fire federal workers, and dismantle whole government agencies that serve the American people,” he told the cheering crowd. “The fight against DOGE is about fairness, accountability, and the integrity of our government. And I ask you to make that clear to lawmakers when you’re on Capitol Hill this week.”
3. Bipartisan members of Congress addressed AFGE members
Several members of Congress spoke at the legislative conference, urging AFGE members to continue to fight and assuring them that they have allies in Congress. They stressed the importance of activism and grassroots mobilization as one of the tools to fight Trump and his efforts to undermine our democracy.
“It’s a full-blown assault on the Constitution,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., of Trump’s power grab and illegal efforts to rule as a king, bypassing Congress’s power of the purse and enacted laws.
Raskin explained that there’s a reason Congress is in Article 1 of the Constitution, which emphasizes its significance as the first branch of government. The President is in Article 2, which also has a section on how Congress can impeach the president.
“Why does Congress have the power to impeach the President and the President cannot impeach us?” he asked.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a former FBI agent who grew up in a union family and long-time supporter of federal workers, urged AFGE members to continue the dialogue with members of Congress to make sure they understand the work that they do behind the scenes to make our daily lives possible.
“It’s very easy to attack people they don’t know who they are, what their name is, what they’re doing to protect our country. But I’m here to tell you, without you all, our country would collapse,” he said. “I encourage you to continue the dialog with us. Kudos to AFGE for maintaining this relationship. The smart approach is to find friends and allies in every single corner of this country, in every single corner of Congress because we need allies, we need enough people. There’s strength in number to make sure that we can get the job done for you all.”
4. E-Dues was front and center
Expecting the Trump administration to soon end payroll dues deductions in which members’ dues are deducted from their paychecks, AFGE leaders urged all locals and members to immediately move to the E-Dues system in which members pay dues directly to the union.
AFGE Membership and Organization Director Dave Cann said ending dues deductions is about getting rid of AFGE.
“Do not let them take you out,” he told AFGE members.
5. AFGE honored former Chief of Staff Brian DeWyngaert
In a long overdue recognition, our union recognized Brian DeWyngaert, former chief of staff who saw us through very tough times and shaped our union’s future. Brian retired from AFGE at the end of 2020, just shy of 43 years at AFGE, 37 of those years in the National President’s Office as deputy chief of staff and then chief of staff. He served six AFGE presidents. Brian started at AFGE in 1978 when Jimmy Carter was president. He applied innovative organizing, representation, and bargaining tools to build our councils and craft labor-management partnerships and he oversaw the transition from the Civil Service Reform Act retirement system to Federal Employees Retirement System – preserving CSRS for thousands of federal employees who already had many years of service in the federal government. He helped to craft important HR changes like locality pay while working to defeat anti-worker ideas that would lower our pay. AFGE’s E-Dues that saved us today started when Brian was chief of staff. Even after he retired, Brian worked with us on a cutting-edge response to new AI threats and opportunities.
“I look at Brian now, and I do not see AFGE’s past – I see our future because he helped set us on a course that will sustain us even through these trying times,” Kelley said.
6. AFGE recognized outstanding union activists
Several AFGE members received an award for their outstanding work going above and beyond for our union. These are:
7. We collected donations for L.A. wildfire victims
The wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area have impacted hundreds of thousands of people, including AFGE members. If you're able to help, please consider clicking here and donating to FEEA so that they can continue assisting other AFGE members.
TSOs made enormous progress at their agency with a union contract, but the Trump administration earlier this month illegally terminated the negotiated contract with AFGE, prompting our union to file a lawsuit.
Read More
Week 9 saw President Trump attacking our country’s last line of defense against dictatorship as he ignored a court ruling and demanded the judge’s impeachment in his latest abuse of executive power and assault on America’s rule of law.
Read More
A federal judge March 18 ruled that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) violated the Constitution by shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Read More
