(The Center Square) – Democratic attorneys general from California and seven other states are demanding to know how many veterans and their spouses were fired during the federal government’s recent mass dismissals.
The attorneys general Friday announced they filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget.
The attorneys general said they want to see:
The number of fired federal employees who are entitled to veterans’ preference in employment.Data on dismissals of federal workers who are veterans or spouses of veterans.Correspondence concerning the dismissals, especially those related to President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders 14210 and 14217, both of which are about reducing the federal workforce.
Besides California, states filing the FOIA requests are Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Washington.
“We won’t let the president’s ruthless decision to fire employees, including many U.S. veterans and their spouses, go unchecked,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “Not only is this decision shortsighted, but it has caused turmoil across states nationwide by disrupting critical services and impacting the households of U.S. veterans and their families. Our veterans have risked their lives for our safety and freedom, and they deserve better.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said the public has a right to know whether there’s a purge of veterans and spouses from the federal workforce.
