A large group of federal union workers gathered Tuesday with Democratic lawmakers for a fiery rally outside the U.S. Capitol, where they raged at sweeping cuts to the federal workforce being carried out by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency with the backing of President Donald Trump.
Democrats have been holding rallies outside targeted federal agencies as DOGE rolls out a widening number of job cuts.
The “Save the Civil Service Rally” was one of the larger gatherings, attended by hundreds of federal workers, including members of the American Federation of Government Employees. The AFGE is involved in several lawsuits challenging the president’s executive orders.
“We need to raise hell,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., speaking to a crowd that often chanted in unison as lawmakers called out to federal workers gathered in Upper Senate Park. “We need to make sure that we won’t take it and we are not going back.”
Hoyer said the civil service can’t go back to its early days, when it was filled by government leaders appointing “political hacks.”
Among the many Democratic leaders who spoke to the enthusiastic crowd was House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who this week announced he’s put together a rapid reaction task force to try to counter the Trump administration’s swift efforts to dismantle several federal agencies.
“We’re going to keep moving forward,” Jeffries said. “We’re not going to let them unwind the progress that you and others have fought to accomplish.”
Other speakers included Maryland’s U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, as well as Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md.
Federal workers attending the rally held up signs that read “We will not resign” in response to the administration’s effort to get tens of thousands of federal employees to either quit or take the deferred resignation offer, which has been delayed as a judge reviews it.
Taina Litwak, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a federal employee with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Litwak attended the rally and was holding signs that read “We will not resign” and “Stop Musk.”
“My coworkers and I are very, very worried that we’re not going to have jobs,” she said. “Because we work in agricultural research and anything with the name research on it — these Republicans and the DOGE seems to hate.”
Congressional Republicans have rallied around Musk and his efforts to slash the federal workforce, arguing agencies are bloated and wasting taxpayer money.
“What we’re doing is good and right for the American people,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday.
Johnson also said he supports the view of Vice President JD Vance, who has argued “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive branch’s legitimate power.”
Trump has shown no sign of relenting in his push to get rid of federal workers. The White House has indicated at least 65,000 federal employees have accepted its offer to stop working and be paid through September.
Many Democratic lawmakers have urged federal workers not to accept the deferred resignation offer, arguing it has too many unanswered questions surrounding it.
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