1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my deep concern and outrage over the Trump administration’s continued efforts to dismantle the professional federal civil service under the direction of Russell Vought and other political appointees. The latest expansion of Schedule F, now referred to as Schedule Policy Career, threatens to strip thousands of career federal employees of longstanding civil service protections and make them vulnerable to dismissal based on political considerations rather than merit, expertise, or performance. Reports indicate that tens of thousands of federal positions could ultimately be affected by these changes. For generations, our country has relied on a nonpartisan professional workforce to ensure that government serves the American people regardless of which political party occupies the White House. Career civil servants swear an oath to the Constitution, not to any president. Efforts to replace expertise and independent judgment with political loyalty tests undermine that principle and threaten the integrity of our institutions. Russell Vought has repeatedly advocated for expanding presidential control over the federal workforce. The result is a dangerous concentration of power that weakens oversight, discourages whistleblowers, and risks transforming public service into a system where loyalty to political leaders matters more than competence, ethics, and adherence to the law. I expect my elected representatives to defend the independence of the federal civil service and to exercise meaningful oversight over actions that erode merit based government. Congress has a responsibility to protect the institutions that safeguard democracy and ensure that federal employees can serve the public without fear of political retaliation. I urge you to publicly oppose these efforts, support legislation that protects career civil servants, and hold Russell Vought and administration officials accountable for policies that undermine the effectiveness and integrity of our government. The American people deserve a government staffed by qualified professionals dedicated to public service, not one reshaped to serve the political interests of those currently in power. I look forward to your response and to learning what actions you intend to take on behalf of your constituents.