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Virginia’s U.S. senators are offering support to federal employees facing a disputed resignation proposal and renewed concerns about job protections.
Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, will hold a telephone town hall for federal workers at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10. Participants can call 833-425-1494.
The event could have particular significance in Fairfax County, home to more than 50,000 federal employees, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
Uncertainty spread through the federal workforce after more than 2.3 million employees nationwide received a Jan. 28 email titled “Fork in the Road.” Workers were told they could remain in their positions while accepting new workplace reforms and in-office requirements, or reply with “Resign” in the subject line.
Those who resigned were offered eight months of pay and benefits while on leave.
Kaine challenged the proposal in an open letter to federal employees that he read on the Senate floor Tuesday, Feb. 4.
“The Trump Administration has made plain that it wants to kick you around — by blocking your ability to administer federal resources, censoring your free speech, locking you out of your work buildings,” Kaine said.
He also warned employees against accepting the offer, saying, “Donald Trump has no authority to offer you a resignation buyout.”
On Thursday, Feb. 6, U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. temporarily suspended the deadline for the Office of Personnel Management’s offer. OPM subsequently said employees had until 11:59 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, to decide whether to resign and continue receiving pay through the end of September.
The decision carries substantial financial consequences. The federal workforce earns an average annual salary of $106,382, based on Office of Personnel Management figures reported by the Pew Research Center. Half of federal employees make between $50,000 and $109,999 a year.
Warner said public resistance was growing as more people recognized the stakes.
“More people are standing up and speaking out,” Warner said. “I hope that will ultimately creep into some of my Republican friends at the local county level, at the state level, at the national level. We’re in the fight, and at the end of the day, we’re going to come out okay.”
The resignation offer comes amid a broader battle over the federal civil service.
On Jan. 16, Kaine joined Reps. Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia, Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska in reintroducing the bipartisan Saving the Civil Service Act, designated H.R. 492 and S. 134.
The legislation would prevent implementation of Schedule F, a classification that could move tens of thousands of federal jobs into an excepted-service category without existing competitive protections. Supporters say the bill would help ensure employment decisions remain based on merit.
President Donald Trump reinstated Schedule F through an executive order issued Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration.
The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association said the order’s stated safeguards against politically motivated dismissals lack enforceable protections. The organization warned that federal careers and government effectiveness could be placed at risk.
NARFE is urging people to contact legislators in support of the Saving the Civil Service Act, arguing that it would protect a professional, merit-based and nonpartisan federal workforce.