1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing because the continued attack on federal agencies, federal employees, and their workplace rights has gone far beyond what any member of Congress should be willing to tolerate. The latest action at the Social Security Administration is another example. SSA, under Commissioner Frank Bisignano, has indefinitely suspended advanced annual and sick leave, including for employees who may be facing serious medical emergencies, caring for sick family members, recovering from accidents, or confronting circumstances beyond their control. This is not how you strengthen Social Security. It is not how you improve public service. And it is certainly not how you treat the federal employees who keep this country functioning. Russell Vought and this administration have repeatedly targeted the federal workforce, federal agencies, collective bargaining, telework, employee protections, and the institutions that millions of Americans rely upon. Social Security has been at the center of far too many of these attacks. Commissioner Bisignano’s leadership at SSA has become unacceptable. Federal agencies are not private corporations, federal employees are not disposable corporate expenses, and Social Security is not a business. It is a public institution with an enormous responsibility to the American people. Congress should demand accountability from its leadership, and I believe Commissioner Bisignano should be removed. Employees should not be treated as the problem while leadership continues making decisions that undermine morale and employee protections. Punishing an entire workforce because of alleged problems involving individual cases is not responsible management. Employees dealing with cancer, accidents, sick children, aging parents, and other emergencies should not become collateral damage in an ideological campaign against the federal workforce. This is also part of a much larger assault on federal employees and organized labor. Collective bargaining rights, employee protections, and the ability of workers to have a meaningful voice in their workplace are rights worth defending. Congress cannot simply watch while those protections are dismantled piece by piece. You were elected to represent your constituents, not to rubber stamp the actions of an administration or remain silent when those actions harm the people you represent. If you care about your constituents, the rule of law, federal employees, union rights, and the future of Social Security, then stand up and do something. Demand accountability from Russell Vought and this administration. Conduct meaningful oversight of what is happening at SSA. Defend federal employees and their collective bargaining rights. And hold Commissioner Bisignano accountable for decisions that are harming the workforce entrusted with administering Social Security. And if none of those things are enough to compel action, then consider this: your constituents are watching. We will remember who stood up when federal agencies, federal employees, and worker protections were under attack, and we will remember who remained silent. Doing what is right should not depend on political party. Defending the rule of law, workers’ rights, and the institutions Americans depend on should be the bare minimum we expect from our elected representatives. Please stand up for the people you were elected to represent.