NELP Denounces Supreme Court Ruling Permitting Immediate Layoffs of Hundreds of Thousands of Federal Workers

Following is a statement from Rebecca Dixon, president and CEO of the National Employment Law Project:

“NELP condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday handing the Trump administration another pass in its devastation of federal public servants and their communities across the country. Even as the workers’ challenges to their firings will continue in lower courts, the Supreme Court allowed the mass firings to resume.

“These public servants are the people who keep our communities and workplaces safe; run our Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs; provide medical care to veterans; administer financial aid to students; safeguard our warning systems of natural disasters; protect our national parks and other natural resources; and protect consumers from fraud, among other vital services. These civil servants have job protections because our country values their expertise, independent judgment, and adherence to the rule of law. Their political views and loyalty to a particular party or president are not part of the job.

These civil servants have job protections because our country values their expertise, independent judgment, and adherence to the rule of law. Their political views and loyalty to a particular party or president are not part of the job.

“The Supreme Court provided the Trump administration with a green light to hollow out government agencies. These actions will create a vacuum for tackling our country’s most pressing issues; they will erode our democratic institutions, bringing us closer to an unaccountable autocracy.

“These mass firings also threaten the livelihoods and financial security of millions of working people and communities across the United States. Thousands of federal workers live in every state—and every congressional district—across the country. If hundreds of thousands of people suddenly lose their jobs, families will not have income to meet their basic needs and local communities will suffer, creating the risk of a recession. This move disproportionately harms Black workers and their families, who make up a significant share of the federal workforce, threatening a critical source of good jobs. Our unemployment insurance system exists to counter these harms and provide working people with financial support as they look for new employment. We encourage all impacted federal workers to file for unemployment insurance as soon as possible and consult the Federal Workers Legal Defense Network to be sure that all their rights are vigorously protected.

“NELP stands with the unions and workers challenging these mass firings, and we will disseminate resources to aid federal workers in applying for unemployment benefits and to exercise their rights.”

###