This story is part of WTOP’s ongoing series, Trump Impact, which looks at how the new administration could change the D.C. region.
Thousands of people concerned about their future job status in the federal government once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House participated in a Tele-Town Hall Thursday evening to learn more about plans to stop potential cuts to the workforce from happening.
The event, hosted by Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., brought in about 15,000 people, mostly federal workers from the D.C. area who are bracing for possible cuts that Trump pledged to implement. Those in attendance were able to submit questions and interact with Ivey and union leaders who will look to defend their jobs from being eliminated.
“No one should expect that on Jan. 20, they’re going to get fired,” Daniel Horowitz, the deputy legislative director of American Federation of Government Employees, a union for federal workers, said.
Trump has said he plans to reimplement Schedule F, which effectively could make it easier to fire federal employees without cause. Horowitz said a rule put in place by the Biden Administration would at least slow down any plan to mass-fire federal workers.
“If you do, as a federal employee, get moved on to, say, schedule F, and you already had tenure protection, as a member of the competitive service that would carry over, you would still have that and you could not be arbitrarily removed,” he said.
- ‘We enforce our own laws’: DC mayor on the new administration’s stance on immigration
- DC region is ‘losing the battle for talent.’ How will Trump administration impact business?
- How can local businesses in the DC region pivot if the federal workforce is reduced in 2025?
However, Horowitz said the Trump White House will seek to have that provision removed, but it will take months before it happens. Ivey added while the effort will be different for federal contractors, they should be prepared for a push to eliminate their jobs as well.
Any potential cuts would not likely affect federal retirees, Horowitz said, but they may not be off the hook entirely. Efforts to make cuts across the board may include changing federal retirement programs, which can impact existing benefits for current or future retirees, which will need to be closely monitored over the next 12 months, he said.
It’s also possible that remote work will end and force workers to return to the office. While the union will defend its members’ right to continue teleworking under its current agreements, Horowitz told federal workers at the town hall, “if you get an order to go to the office, go to the office.”
Trump has also appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Efficiency, which isn’t an actual agency, but is tasked to come up with ways to make the government more efficient, potentially through unprecedented cuts to the federal workforce.
Musk and Ramaswamy visited Capitol Hill last week, to meet with lawmakers and discuss how they plan to slash the number of federal workers. Pledges have been made many times over the years to shrink the federal government, and some are skeptical this latest effort will lead to the sweeping changes Musk and Ramaswamy have committed to.
But Ivey said his constituents have taken notice.
“There’s definitely concern,” he told WTOP. “I think a lot of people are worried that they’re going to be pushed out of their positions unfairly.”
But Republican critics of federal spending say much of it is wasted and that there is plenty of room for cuts. They argue reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy would improve the overall economy.
Ivy said he and other members of the Maryland congressional delegation are working local members of Congress to stop the cuts, including Gerry Connolly and Don Beyer of Virginia and Eleanor Holmes Norton of D.C.
Virginia has more than 140,000 federal workers, and like Maryland and D.C., its economy relies heavily on federal dollars.
“This is critical,” Ivey said Thursday evening. “We’re going to be working together to focus on this.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
