(The Center Square) – A group of Virginia Democrats are lashing out at President Donald Trump for his executive orders targeting federal workers.
Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner released a joint statement, saying Trump is attacking the federal workforce by weakening protections that shield them from “politically-motivated mass firings” and “imposing an across-the-board” hiring freeze.
The pair accused the president of putting his interests before the American people; however, the senators didn’t specify which of the handful of executive orders the president issued addressing the federal workforce were in conflict.
“Donald Trump’s executive order is designed to starve and undermine the federal workforce and shows he is prioritizing his obsession with yes-men over the well-being of the American people and workers,” the senators said in a statement.
The senators say federal workers are hired based on “experience and expertise.”
“It’s in the best interest of our national security and the quality of the services Americans rely on – including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food inspections, and natural disaster relief programs – that our federal workforce is hired based on experience and expertise, and receives the support needed to effectively deliver,” the senators continued.
Kaine and Warner highlighted legislation they reintroduced last week, the Saving the Civil Service Act. They say it will protect federal workers “from being reclassified outside of the merit system principles,” mirroring a rule issued by the Biden administration in April 2024.
“We appreciate the steps the Biden administration took to complicate Trump’s ability to put this order into motion and will continue to push for our legislation to halt it altogether,” the pair said.
Trump says his executive orders pertaining to the elimination prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion will foster a merit-based system within the federal workforce.
The senators claim that in order to undo that rule and implement Trump’s executive order, the new administration would have to “undergo a months-long review process,” including a public comment period, and “failing to properly undergo this thorough process will prompt legal action.”
Abigail Spanberger, a former Virginia congresswoman and Democratic candidate for governor, also reacted to Trump’s orders, saying the actions are jeopardizing federal workers.
“One of Trump’s first executive actions puts thousands of federal workers who call Virginia home directly in harm’s way – threatening their jobs and our economy in the pursuit of sheer political powers…Politicians should be focused on creating jobs – not chaos,” Spanberger posted on X.
Trump whistleblower and Virginia Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman echoed Spanberger’s comments.
“Make no mistake, an attempt to politicize the federal workforce is a threat against our national security and Virginia’s economy… On day one, President Trump made one thing very clear – he’s not concerned with lowering costs for hard working families, he’s using his pen to make it harder for folks like us to get ahead,” Vindman posted on X.
Trump issued multiple executive orders targeting federal workers, including ending remote work, reforming the federal hiring process while restoring merit to government service, restoring accountability for senior career officials, restoring accountability to policy-influencing positions within the federal workforce and implementing a hiring freeze.
The president says the orders are necessary to make the federal government more efficient while reducing federal spending.
