McClellan Statement on Cruel and Illegal Mass Firings by Trump Administration Amidst Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought announced mass firings amidst a federal government shutdown:

“Earlier this year, Trump’s OMB Director Russell Vought said, ‘We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected …When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work, because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want their funding to be shut down … We want to put them in trauma.’

“Today’s announced mass layoffs represent the Trump Administration and Vought’s latest illegal attempt to inflict that trauma on our federal workforce. This comes amidst a government shutdown and looming health care crisis of Republicans’ making.

“Over 200,000 federal workers have already been pushed out of their jobs as a result of Vought’s campaign to traumatize our civil service. This pattern of needless cruelty has left millions uncertain for their lives and livelihoods in the coming weeks and months. From previous mass firings, to federal buyout offers, to DOGE’s systematic assault on federal agencies earlier this year, the Trump Administration has consistently undermined essential services for the American people.

“Our federal workers are not faceless bureaucrats. They are the people who ensure our water is safe to drink and the air is clean to breathe. They’re the ones who defend and uphold the civil rights of our young students. Their dedicated service improves our lives. In Virginia, the state with the second highest number of federal employees, we know just how valuable our federal workforce is and what we stand to lose through mass firings. 

“Virginia’s economy and our communities have been hit especially hard this year as the Trump Administration kills jobs and does nothing to address rising costs. These firings will be contested in court. I stand with our federal workers and will do everything in my power to ensure they receive the support and protections they need ahead.”