Ranking Member Takano: Court Confirms Trump Administration’s Illegal Mass Firings

WASHINGTON—Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) responded to Judge William J. Alsup’s ruling that ordered six federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, to rehire thousands of probationary workers unlawfully terminated during the Trump administration:

"Judge Alsup's ruling rightfully recognized that these mass firings were, in the judge's own words, a 'gimmick' designed to circumvent proper procedures and protections for federal workers.

This ruling validates what we have maintained from the beginning: the Administration's attempt to gut our federal workforce through OPM directives targeting probationary employees was unlawful, unjust and executed without proper legal authority and without any regard to the end of result of thousands of veterans being among those fired without cause.

While I applaud the court's order directing the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Treasury, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, and Interior to offer reinstatement to improperly terminated employees, I remain concerned about the significant gray area this situation creates for both the agencies and the affected workers. As we know from the judge’s findings, the terminations were based on a “lie”, and this Administration has shown it is willing to break the law with impunity when Congressional Republicans refuse to hold it accountable.

VA employees are dedicated civil servants who wanted to show up every day to serve our nation’s veterans. They provided critical care to veterans facing mental health crises, ensured medication safety, kept tech systems operating, managed project planning, recruited new talent to the VA, and so much more. These terrible actions need to end. We expect Secretary Collins to implement the judge’s order without delay and we will continue to call for transparency and accountability.

VA is on the precipice of destruction from even more cuts through a senseless reduction in force effort, enabled by the House Republicans’ continuing resolution which guts funding for toxic exposed veterans and eliminates funding for VA hospitals and clinics. Congress must pass a 30-day continuing resolution to protect VA from being gutted further.”

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