1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing once again to condemn Russell Vought and this administration’s relentless assault on federal employees, due process, and the basic protections that prevent the federal workforce from becoming a political spoils system. The latest proposal from OPM and the Merit Systems Protection Board would dismantle longstanding safeguards that have helped ensure disciplinary actions against federal employees are fair, reasonable, and consistent. The administration wants to abandon the Douglas factors, shorten the time employees have to improve their performance, weaken progressive discipline, make it easier to fire employees for a first offense, restrict meaningful comparisons to how other employees have been treated, and undermine employees’ ability to receive union representation during disciplinary proceedings. This is not responsible government reform. It is another attempt to strip federal employees of protections and give political appointees and agency management far greater power over the careers and livelihoods of career civil servants. The Douglas factors have existed for decades for a reason. Before taking away someone’s livelihood, the government should consider the seriousness of the conduct, the employee’s work history, whether the punishment is consistent with similar cases, and whether the employee has the potential to improve. These are not bureaucratic obstacles. They are basic principles of fairness and due process. A system that allows employees to be fired more quickly, provides them less time to respond, weakens consistent disciplinary standards, and makes it harder for them to obtain effective representation is ripe for abuse. These changes become even more alarming when viewed alongside this administration’s broader campaign to weaken unions, politicize the civil service, and remove protections for career federal employees. Federal workers should absolutely be held accountable for legitimate misconduct and poor performance. But accountability must never become an excuse to eliminate due process or make it easier to target employees arbitrarily, politically, or personally. Russell Vought and this administration have demonstrated again and again that their objective is not simply to improve government efficiency. Their actions are systematically concentrating power while dismantling the institutions and protections designed to prevent that power from being abused. I am asking you to publicly condemn these efforts and use every authority available to Congress to protect a professional, nonpartisan federal workforce. Congress cannot continue standing by while decades of civil service protections are dismantled piece by piece. Your constituents are watching. We expect our elected representatives to defend the rule of law, due process, workers’ rights, and a federal government that serves the American people rather than the political interests of whoever happens to occupy the White House. I urge you to stand up now and make clear that federal employees are not disposable political targets and that due process is not an inconvenience to be eliminated.