Tag

#federal workforce

Incidents affecting federal government employees, including mass firings, forced resignations, elimination of civil service protections, and political purges of the professional bureaucracy.

3 incidents

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

DOGE-Directed Mass Firings and Forced Resignations of Federal Workers

DOGE directed mass firings of probationary employees, coerced ~75,000 resignations through the 'Fork in the Road' program, and orchestrated reductions in force totaling ~300,000 federal positions. Courts found the probationary firings illegal, but the Supreme Court sided with the administration on appeal.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Schedule F Reclassification: Mass Removal of Civil Service Protections

Schedule F reclassification targets 50,000 federal employees for removal of civil service protections, enabling political firing for 'subversion of presidential directives.' The rule strips appeal rights, whistleblower protections, and Merit Systems Protection Board access, drawing lawsuits from over 30 organizations.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

DOGE-Directed Elimination of Federal DEI Programs and Mass Firings of DEI Workers

Executive Order 14151 directed elimination of all federal DEI programs. DOGE implemented a three-phase purge, firing thousands of workers — including many who had no current DEI role — and in later court depositions DOGE staffers described using ChatGPT to flag humanities grants as DEI. A December 2025 class-action lawsuit alleges the purge targeted minorities, women, and LGBTQ+ employees.