Letter to OPM
Uploaded by
MassLiveLetter to OPM
Uploaded by
MassLiveMarch 21, 2025
Mr. Charles Ezell
Acting Director
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
1900 E St, NW
Washington, DC 20415
Dear Acting Director Ezell,
We write in strong opposition to the Trump Administration’s unprecedented and
dangerous efforts to purge nonpartisan civil servants from the federal workforce. Our
Commonwealth is home to more than 46,000 federal employees who play an essential role in
safeguarding the health, safety, and economic well-being of Massachusetts. These indiscriminate
cuts threaten the core functioning of critical federal services and will harm our constituents. We
request that you provide detailed and complete information regarding federal employees in
Massachusetts who have been terminated, placed on leave, transferred, or subjected to a
reduction in force (RIF) as part of this purge.
On January 28, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email to more
than 2 million federal employees with the subject line “The Fork in the Road.” The email
outlined a so-called “deferred resignation” offer for federal employees with a response deadline
of February 6, 2025 – a deadline only extended by court order.1
The Administration then escalated its attack by mass-firing employees in their
probationary period, blatantly exploiting the fewer legal protections afforded to them. On
January 20, 2025, OPM issued a memorandum titled, “Guidance on Probationary Periods,
Administrative Leave and Details,” which ordered agencies to identify and submit to OPM a list
of employees within their probationary periods.2 According to public reporting, your agency
played a direct role in prioritizing these dismissals.3 Two federal judges found the termination
program illegal and required the reinstatement of impacted workers.4
1
Judge Extends Government Buyout Offer Amid Push to Strike Down Deal, The Hill (Feb. 10, 2025)
(online at thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5136860-federal-judge-extends-buyout-deadline/).
2
Memorandum from Acting Director Charles Ezell, Office of Personnel Management, to Heads and Acting
Heads of Departments and Agencies, Guidance on Probationary Periods, Administrative Leave and Details (Jan.
20, 2025) (online at www.opm.gov/media/yh3bv2fs/guidance-on-probationary-periods-administrative-leave-and-
details-1-20-2025-final.pdf).
3
OPM Advises Agencies to Fire Probationary Employees After “Deferred Resignation” Deadline, Federal
News Network (Feb. 13, 2025) (online at https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/02/opm-fires-
probationary-employees-after-deferred-resignation-deadline/); With Elon Musk Watching, Trump Says He’s Giving
DOGE Even More Power, NBC News (Feb. 11, 2025) (online at www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/elon-musk-
trump-doge-executive-order-rcna191751).
4
Two judges in mass firings cases order Trump administration to rehire probationary workers for now,
Associated Press (March 13, 2025) (online at apnews.com/article/mass-firings-federal-workers-trump-
administration-7cc7320f469cc65529367aaea2fd9dcb
On February 11, 2025, President Trump, joined by unelected billionaire Elon Musk,
issued a sweeping Executive Order titled “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of
Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative,”5 which mandated mass layoffs
across the federal government under the guise of “efficiency.” Shortly thereafter, federal
agencies across the government began firing thousands of probationary employees.6
The Administration’s executive overreach undermines federal agencies, including in
critical areas of disaster preparedness, public health, public safety, and national security.
Moreover, in Massachusetts, every Department of Education employee in the Boston regional
office has been fired, upending the Commonwealth’s ability to administer Title I funding and
resolve more than 300 pending education-related civil rights cases.7 This reckless purge directly
harms children and families who rely on Head Start, after-school programs, and disability
accommodations.
Similarly, nearly 10,000 dedicated employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) in Massachusetts – who provide lifesaving healthcare and services to our veterans – are
under threat from downsizing efforts.8 Many of those targeted are veterans themselves, betrayed
as they seek to continue serving our country. These attacks on public servants and the
communities they support are unacceptable, and our constituents deserve better.
Given the significant impacts of the Administration’s purge on our state, we request that
you provide the following information by April 4, 2025:
1. The number of federal employees in Massachusetts since January 20, 2025, that
have been terminated, placed on administrated leave, taken early retirement, or
been subject to a RIF broken down by agency, county, congressional district, GS
level, and average length of federal service;
2. The number of veterans who held positions with the federal government in
Massachusetts since January 20, 2025, that have been terminated, placed on
administrated leave, taken early retirement, or been subject to a RIF broken down
by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal
service;
Exec. Order. No. 14210, 96 Federal Register 9669 (Feb. 11, 2025) (online at
5
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/14/2025-02762/implementing-the-presidents-department-of-
government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative).
Widespread Layoffs of Probationary Employees Begin, FEDweek (Feb. 14, 2025) (online at
6
www.fedweek.com/fedweek/widespread-layoffs-of-probationary-employees-begin/).
7
Trump can’t unilaterally abolish the U.S. Department of Education. But mass layoffs can get him close,
Boston Globe (March 12, 2025) (online at www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/12/metro/education-department-trump-
layoffs-boston).
8
Veterans Affairs workforce reduction could have big impact in New England, Boston Globe (March 7,
2025) (online at www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/07/metro/va-70000-jobs-cuts).
3. The number of federal employees in Massachusetts that have accepted the
Administration’s “deferred resignation” offer broken down by agency, county,
congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal service; and
4. A detailed plan explaining how OPM will work with agencies and our state
government to ensure that RIFs do not result in delays or disruptions to programs
and benefits, including but not limited to Medicare, Social Security, and
Medicaid, on which our constituents rely.
Thank you for your prompt response to this matter.
Sincerely,
Ayanna Pressley
Member of Congress
Richard E. Neal James P. McGovern
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Lori Trahan Jake Auchincloss
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Katherine M. Clark Seth Moulton
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Stephen F. Lynch William R. Keating
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Elizabeth Warren Edward J. Markey
United States Senator United States Senator
