This story is part of WTOP’s ongoing series, Trump Impact, which looks at how the new administration could change the D.C. region.
Democratic U.S. senators from Virginia and Maryland sought unsuccessfully to pass new legislation Tuesday that would protect federal civil servants from being unfairly terminated by a new president.
The “Saving the Civil Service Act,” sponsored by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, would prevent any position in the federal civil service from being reclassified outside of merit system principles without the consent of Congress.
Before bringing up the legislation on the floor, Kaine and other lawmakers held a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol with federal union leaders.
“Our dedicated federal workers help keep our government running, protect our national security, and provide essential services to Americans like administering Social Security benefits,” Kaine previously said in a 2023 press release.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, along with Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, are among the cosponsors of the legislation.
It comes as a response to President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to bring back “Schedule F,” which would make it easier to reclassify and fire federal workers.
Cardin said it would be “outrageous” for federal workers to, effectively, be forced to take a political test to keep their jobs.
“We’ve got to stop that. And this is a real threat,” Cardin said.
After their news conference, Warner and Van Hollen spoke on behalf of the legislation on the floor, before Kaine brought it up for a vote by unanimous consent.
Under unanimous consent, legislation can pass if no senator objects. But it rarely happens.
And it didn’t Tuesday, with Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., objecting to the legislation.
Kaine and other D.C.-area lawmakers said they expect to continue to fight for the jobs of federal workers in 2025 — when Trump takes office and begins initiatives to make sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.
For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.
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