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Kaine Demands Answers on Mass Layoffs of Veterans from Federal Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined 11 of his Senate colleagues in a letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Acting Director Charles Ezell to express their serious concern over the significant number of U.S. veterans being fired from the federal workforce as part of the Trump Administration’s mass layoff initiative. To highlight his concern for the illegal and unjustified firing of thousands of veterans, Kaine will be joined by Jason King, a disabled veteran from Fairfax who was fired from his position in the Federal Aviation Administration’s safety division as a result of the Trump Administration’s attacks on the federal workforce, at Trump’s joint address tonight.

“United States veterans are dedicated to public service, so it should be no surprise that veterans make up a significant portion of the federal workforce. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), veterans make up 30 percent of the federal workforce compared to only six percent of the civilian workforce,” wrote the senators. “More than 640,000 veterans were part of the federal workforce before Elon Musk and President Trump's haphazard layoffs began, many of whom are losing their livelihoods after these layoffs and a legally questionable deferred resignation program.”

The senators continued, “The administration’s additional planned federal layoffs will impact a wide swath of veterans, hurting them and their families while also undermining government services. According to analysis compiled from open-source data, as of February 23, 2025, Elon Musk and President Trump have already fired nearly 6,000 veterans across the federal government.”

In the letter, the senators demanded Acting Director Ezell and the OPM provide a clear explanation of the assessment OPM conducted on the impact the deferred resignation letter and mass layoff initiative will have on federal agencies’ ability to meet their missions efficiently and effectively and whether proper assessments were conducted prior to workforce reductions taking place.

“All federal employees deserve fair treatment and recognition for their service to the American people. Veterans bring great value and skillsets earned through their military service to the federal government. To lay them off with no forethought is disrespectful to their service and damaging to our federal government,” the senators concluded.

The letter was led by U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and cosigned by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Michael Bennet (D-CO).  

A copy of the letter is available here and below.

Acting Director Ezell:

We write to express great concern about how many U.S. military veterans are being fired from the federal workforce as part of Elon Musk and President Trump’s mass layoffs. This is upending the lives of veterans and their families who have already given so much in service to our country.

The federal government has long recognized the value and importance of veterans in the federal workforce. In honor of their service to the country, veterans receive preference when applying to positions in the civil service. United States veterans are dedicated to public service, so it should be no surprise that veterans make up a significant portion of the federal workforce. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), veterans make up 30 percent of the federal workforce compared to only six percent of the civilian workforce. More than 640,000 veterans were part of the federal workforce before Elon Musk and President Trump's haphazard layoffs began, many of whom are losing their livelihoods after these layoffs and a legally questionable deferred resignation program. The administration’s additional planned federal layoffs will impact a wide swath of veterans, hurting them and their families while also undermining government services. According to analysis compiled from open-source data, as of February 23, 2025, Elon Musk and President Trump have already fired nearly 6,000 veterans across the federal government.

We are alarmed because it does not appear OPM conducted any meaningful assessment of how layoffs and the legally questionable “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation offer would impact veterans. We request information on what, if any, assessment OPM conducted on the impact the deferred resignation offer and mass layoffs will have on federal agencies’ ability to meet their missions and Congressional mandate, or the impact to the federal workforce, particularly on U.S. veterans. To understand how the administration’s plans will impact federal workers and veterans working in executive agencies, including those with service-connected disabilities, we request responses to the following questions be provided no later than March 11, 2025:

  • Provide a list of every offer that the administration has made to federal employees since January 20, 2025, to resign. Include any other such offers the administration plans to make at any time during 2025.
  • How many federal workers have been terminated or laid off as part of the administration’s workforce reduction efforts since January 20, 2025?
    • Provide a detailed account of the number of employees by federal agency, department or unit, location, and veteran status.
    • How many of those federal workers are veterans? How many are veterans with a service-connected disability?
  • How many federal workers accepted the “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation offer?
    • How many of those federal workers are veterans? How many are veterans with a service-connected disability?
    • How many of those federal workers were told they were ineligible for the deferred resignation offer after replying with the intent to accept the offer (i.e., replied “resign.”)?
    • How many federal workers received the deferred resignation offer despite being ineligible from the start?
    • Provide a detailed account of the number of employees by federal agency, department or unit, location, and veteran status. 4. How did OPM evaluate compliance of the “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation program with existing collective bargaining agreements?
  • How did OPM evaluate compliance of any layoff decisions with existing collective bargaining agreements?
  • Provide a detailed explanation for what assessment, if any, OPM conducted prior to terminating or laying off federal workers as part of the administration's workforce reduction efforts.
  • What job placement services did OPM, the Veterans Administration, or the administration offer to veterans subjected to these mass layoffs?
  • Provide a copy of each and every OPM memorandum sent to any federal agency at any time from January 20, 2025, onward, relating to any of the following:
    • Planning or implementing a Reduction in Force;
    • Implementation of President Trump’s executive order 14210, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative” or related executive order 14170;
    • President Trump’s executive order 14171, “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce”;
    • President Trump’s executive order 14217, “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy”; or
    • Guidance regarding the treatment of veterans or military spouses in the federal workforce.

All federal employees deserve fair treatment and recognition for their service to the American people. Veterans bring great value and skillsets earned through their military service to the federal government. To lay them off with no forethought is disrespectful to their service and damaging to our federal government.

We ask for your clarification on how these workforce reductions have been targeted, what assessment OPM and the impacted agencies have conducted, and what considerations the administration made in making these decisions that will impact hundreds of thousands of dedicated veterans and their families.

We look forward to your prompt response and attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

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