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WASHINGTON – Aimlessly firing hundreds of thousands of federal employees across the country would be catastrophic to local economies, eliminate essential public services that agencies were created to provide and endanger the health and security of all Americans, according to the National Treasury Employees Union.

“Never before have we seen an administration determined to tear down the entire federal government, abandon our country's commitment to serve and protect its citizens, send hundreds of thousands of Americans to the unemployment lines, and crater the economy. Yet, here we are,” said NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald. “NTEU will pursue every legal avenue to stop this unprecedented attack on the very foundation of our national government.”

About 85 percent of the federal workforce is outside the Washington D.C. metro area, which means the White House proposal to gut federal agencies will have repercussions in every city and state. Friends and neighbors who have dedicated their careers to nonpartisan, professional public service are under threat of being fired, with no regard for the valuable work they do:

Closing 113 Taxpayer Assistance Centers means taxpayers across the country no longer get the in-person help they need from the Internal Revenue Service;

Gutting the Environmental Protection Agency means fewer scientists dedicated to enforcing clean air and water laws;

Firing researchers at the Food and Drug Administration makes it harder to protect Americans from unsafe food, medicines or medical devices;

Eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exposes military servicemembers, seniors and all consumers to fraud and predatory lending practices;

Firing rangers at the National Park Service makes our parks less accessible to the public.

NTEU represents about 150,000 frontline federal employees in 37 federal agencies and offices, and all of them were hired because they have the necessary skills and experience and are focused on helping agencies meet their public service missions. 

“These mass firings are not a strategic government reorganization or an effort to find efficiency. They are a complete reversal of what Congress and the American people decided they want from their government: quality services provided by nonpartisan professionals who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution,” Greenwald said.

NTEU has multiple lawsuits pending against the unlawful actions by the administration and union leaders around the country are taking steps to enforce the terms of their collective bargaining agreements.