Washington, DC -- Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in support of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which have filed a temporary restraining order to stop the State Department from moving forward with a reduction in force (RIF) in defiance of PL. 119-37, which the president signed into law and explicitly prohibits such actions:
“AFGE and AFSA should not have to file this injunction. Congress was clear when it passed the latest CR: the Trump administration must stop its efforts to fire career public servants. Yet, Secretary Rubio is ignoring the law and moving ahead with RIFs anyway. It's shameful how far this administration is willing to go to put fellow Americans, who have dedicated themselves to our country at home and abroad, out of their jobs. The continued purge of expertise at the State Department is strategic self-immolation. It undermines our national security, and weakens America’s ability to lead. Secretary Rubio’s actions are completely unacceptable and must be reversed in accordance with the law.”
“AFGE and AFSA should not have to file this injunction. Congress was clear when it passed the latest CR: the Trump administration must stop its efforts to fire career public servants. Yet, Secretary Rubio is ignoring the law and moving ahead with RIFs anyway. It's shameful how far this administration is willing to go to put fellow Americans, who have dedicated themselves to our country at home and abroad, out of their jobs. The continued purge of expertise at the State Department is strategic self-immolation. It undermines our national security, and weakens America’s ability to lead. Secretary Rubio’s actions are completely unacceptable and must be reversed in accordance with the law.”