AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement in response to President Trump’s reinstatement of Schedule F, which Trump created in his first term, that seeks to reclassify hundreds of thousands of federal employees so they can later be fired and replaced with political loyalists:
President Trump’s attack on federal workers began on his first day in office.
Schedule F is a bureaucratic name for a simple idea Trump created during his first term and laid out as a priority in Project 2025: He is setting the table to clear out the hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans who make our government actually work and replace them with political loyalists who will do his bidding.
Let’s be clear about who these federal workers are that Trump wants to be able to remove without due process. They are the people who care for our veterans at Veterans Affairs centers, make sure our families get their Social Security retirement and disability checks, protect our airports and passengers, inspect our food to ensure it’s safe to eat, and help survivors of disasters—like the North Carolina floods or California fires—get the support they need to rebuild. 85% of them live outside our nation’s capital in towns and cities across every state in the country. Federal workers are our co-workers, friends and neighbors.
The federal government’s failure to function with a skeleton crew of political cronies will have wide-ranging, life-changing consequences for hardworking Americans. Without skilled and experienced federal workers, Americans’ basic, fundamental needs are at risk.
The labor movement won’t allow this attack on federal workers without a fight. We will bring our solidarity to union halls, the courtroom, and Capitol Hill to defend our fellow workers and protect the essential work they do for the American people. We will bring workers from every industry across our country together to stand with federal employees and turn back this directive. To America’s federal workers today and every day: We have your backs.
Contact: Mia Jacobs, 202-637-5018