Task Force Chair Champions Effort to Reinstate and Ensure Back Pay for Illegally Terminated Federal Workers

Washington, D.C. — Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse, Chair of the Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force, issued the following statement in support of Task Force member Rep. LaMonica McIver’s effort to reinstate federal employees who were unjustly fired by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s “DOGE” initiative which enacted mass terminations at critical agencies: 

“The Trump Administration’s continued attacks on federal employees and agencies are reckless and unlawful, and will cause irreparable harm to the American people who rely on these services — including everything from ensuring seniors receive their Social Security checks on time and supporting our nation’s veterans, to protecting public lands and parks, and helping families access food benefits and housing assistance. We must continue to lead the fight in Congress to help reinstate recently terminated employees.”

Neguse and many members of the Task Force have sponsored Rep. McIver’s Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination (MERIT) Act, to reinstate federal employees, including probationary workers who were recently promoted or hired, who were fired from federal agencies and departments as part of the ongoing mass layoffs. The bill would also provide back pay, treat the employees as “involuntarily separated without cause,” and require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit to Congress a report on the number of workers fired and other information about the layoffs. 

Find more information on the MERIT Act HERE. 

###