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Members of Congress from Maryland and Virginia said they are encouraged by some early legal victories in the fight to prevent federal workers from being unfairly fired.
They are also working closely with major unions that represent federal workers to continue highlighting how people are being swept up in what they believe are indiscriminate cuts.
Rep. Don Beyer is a Democrat representing Virginia’s 8th District, which has one of the highest concentrations of federal employees in the country.
He said a decision this week from the Merit Systems Protection Board that blocked the termination of six federal workers during their probationary period was “excellent news, and I hope and expect this will be a harbinger of much more to come.”
In a statement released Wednesday, Beyer also noted that other recent rulings involving the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to fire federal workers “show that we are not powerless to resist and defeat their harmful actions.” Billionaire Elon Musk is overseeing DOGE.
President Donald Trump’s administration, meanwhile, has told federal agencies they must develop plans for more layoffs of federal workers by March 13.
Maryland lawmakers strategize to fight cuts
Democratic members of the Maryland congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, met this week at the U.S. Capitol with union leaders to update each other on what’s being done to fight the DOGE cuts.
Van Hollen said Maryland lawmakers are “the tip of the spear” in pushing back on the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.
He said Trump and Musk are carrying out illegal acts against civil servants.
“We’ve just seen a wave of lawbreaking,” he said.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said what he called the “war against … civil servants” has created a situation that is “bleak and getting worse.”
Kelley pointed out that in recent weeks, DOGE has taken action designed to get rid of tens of thousands of probationary federal employees.
On a positive note, Kelley said he feels good that the Maryland lawmakers “have our back.”
“I know we’re working around the clock,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Democrat who represents Maryland, adding his office could use more employees to answer the phones because they have received so many calls from federal workers.
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., a former federal prosecutor, told union leaders and others at their meeting that he believes the legal efforts being waged against DOGE and the administration have been “extraordinary.”
Ivey also said it is important to continue to “mobilize” and make sure people see they are taking action.
“Those of us in Maryland have a lot of constituents who live very close by and are really itching to come down and get involved with that,” Ivey said, referring to recent town halls and demonstrations outside federal agencies.
Legal battles will continue
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed in an effort to slow down the DOGE cuts.
Many Republicans have criticized the legal efforts, arguing Democrats are standing in the way of making government more efficient.
But local lawmakers make no apologies for backing those legal efforts.
“For me, the whole thing has been a primer for teaching people about the Constitution,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who is a former constitutional scholar.
Raskin argued the actions taken by DOGE are illegal because Congress created the laws that established many federal agencies, as well as appropriations, that are now under siege.
Raskin, like Beyer, praised the recent decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board that blocked probationary workers from being fired.
He said probationary employees haven’t done anything wrong. In many cases they were promoted to new positions for doing excellent work, he said.
Raskin said he looks forward to fighting for what the Constitution stands for.
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