1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the latest efforts by Russell Vought, the Office of Personnel Management, and this administration to dismantle long standing civil service protections for federal employees. The recent proposal to eliminate the Douglas factors, which have guided fair and consistent disciplinary decisions for more than 45 years, is deeply troubling. These factors were established to ensure that agencies consider the full context of an employee’s conduct before imposing discipline, including an employee’s work history, intent, consistency of penalties, potential for rehabilitation, and other relevant circumstances. Eliminating them would make it far easier to terminate employees without the balanced review that has long been a cornerstone of the merit based civil service. This proposal is not about improving government. It is part of a much broader effort championed by Russell Vought to weaken an independent, professional civil service and replace it with a workforce that can be more easily controlled through political pressure. That is a dangerous direction for our country. Career federal employees take an oath to the Constitution, not to any president or political party. The American people deserve a government staffed by qualified professionals who can provide honest expertise without fear that they will lose their jobs for political reasons or because procedural safeguards have been stripped away. Weakening due process does not create accountability. It creates uncertainty, invites arbitrary decision making, and undermines public confidence in government. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to provide oversight of the executive branch. I urge you to publicly oppose these proposals, defend the merit system established by Congress, and reject efforts to erode the rights and protections that have helped ensure a professional, nonpartisan federal workforce for generations. I will continue paying close attention to how you respond to these attacks on the civil service. I expect you to stand with the Constitution, the rule of law, and the federal employees who faithfully serve the American people every day.