1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing as one of your constituents to express my deep concern and frustration over the continued assault on the federal workforce and the institutions that millions of Americans depend upon. The latest changes to federal Reduction in Force rules are yet another example. Effective September 2, 2026, OPM fundamentally changed the way federal employees are ranked during a RIF. Performance ratings now play a substantially greater role, while seniority and length of service have been pushed largely into tie breaking positions. The longstanding bump and retreat protections have also been replaced with much narrower assignment rights. These are not abstract regulatory changes. These are people’s livelihoods. Federal employees have spent years and sometimes decades serving the American public, and they deserve stability, due process, and confidence that their employment will not be subjected to constantly changing rules. I am also deeply concerned about the broader pattern of actions affecting federal agencies and their employees under Russell Vought, OPM Director Scott Kupor, and this administration. Employees have endured reorganizations, workforce reductions, changes to employment protections, uncertainty surrounding their jobs, and repeated attacks on the institutions in which they serve. At some point, this stops being merely a matter of government efficiency and starts having real consequences for human beings. Federal employees are parents, homeowners, caregivers, veterans, taxpayers, and members of the communities you represent. They are the people answering Social Security calls, processing veterans’ claims, inspecting our food and workplaces, maintaining our national infrastructure, protecting our borders, enforcing federal law, and delivering countless other services Americans rely upon every day. They should not be treated as disposable. The government’s own explanation for the new RIF system says the objective is to retain employees who are best able to carry out an agency’s mission. But when employees are already working under extraordinary uncertainty, changing the fundamental rules governing who keeps their job adds another layer of fear and instability. I am asking you to stand up for the federal employees in your district. Please use your position in Congress to demand meaningful oversight of these changes and to ask difficult questions about whether the cumulative effect of these policies is weakening the federal government’s ability to carry out its responsibilities. You are supposed to represent your constituents, including the federal employees who live in your district. Their voices deserve to be heard just as loudly as those of corporate interests, political organizations, and other powerful constituencies. I also urge you to remember that federal employees are constituents before they are federal employees. They vote, pay taxes, own homes, raise families, and contribute to the communities you were elected to represent. The people you represent are watching what their elected officials do during this period. I hope you will choose to stand up for the people who are being affected by these policies rather than remain silent while their jobs, careers, and livelihoods are placed under increasing uncertainty. Federal employees deserve better than continued uncertainty, instability, and attacks on the civil service. They deserve an elected representative who will actually fight to ensure that their voices are heard. I respectfully ask that you make this issue a priority and use your authority in Congress to provide meaningful oversight of this administration’s treatment of the federal workforce.