Press Releases

Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a memo to the heads of federal agencies ordering them to develop “Agency Reorganization Plans” to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force” by March 13, 2025.

“This unlawful plan to engineer a massive government reorganization, ripped straight from the Project 2025 playbook, cannot be ordered by executive fiat. Donald Trump is not a king, and we are not his subjects. Congress is a coequal branch of government, despite the Republican majority’s pathetic abdication of their constitutional authority. This kind of wholesale remaking of the federal government requires congressional input and authorization.

“The mass indiscriminate firing of hundreds of thousands of dedicated, nonpartisan civil servants by a wannabe strongman and his unelected pet billionaire will have an immediate and devastating impact on the integrity and capability of our federal workforce. Worse yet, it is the American people who will suffer as vital aid is delayed, calls to Social Security offices go unanswered, communities are deprived of critical resources and services, and veterans can’t access vital health care. The loss of these services will affect health care, childcare, veterans benefits, social security benefits, Meals on Wheels, Head Start, our national parks, cancer research, student loans, farm payments, and a myriad of other services in red and blue communities alike.

“The Americans who serve this nation day in and day out are not faceless bureaucrats – they are the dedicated, patriotic public servants who inspect your food, provide care to our veterans, and make sure you get your social security benefits. Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s mindless approach to slashing the federal workforce and gutting vital programs and protections will render Trump's government incapable of delivering for the people it is supposed to serve. The victims here are the American people.

“We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to fight this assault on the people’s government in courts of law, in the halls of Congress, and in the court of public opinion. For the sake of their own constituents who will be harmed by Donald Trump’s wrecking ball approach to government, it is long past time for House Republicans to muster what little courage they have left and join us.”