WASHINGTON – Braving pouring rain, federal employees, union leaders, and lawmakers rallied on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to protest what they called a growing threat to the merit-based civil service as the Trump administration pushes efforts to weaken job protections.
As the crowd chanted “Let us work” in unison, protesters held up signs reading “Solidarity” over an American flag, “Department of Government Evil” with a giant red ‘X,’ and “We worked. He golfed.”
“Neither rain, nor snow, or (the) dead of night will keep us from our rounds,” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, told a Capitol Hill rally with other lawmakers and union officials. “That’s what every employee says every morning as they get up and go to work.”
But President Donald Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, has said he wants to traumatize federal workers, Hoyer said.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you and I both know something, that what they’re doing is not legal, not constitutional,” he said.
With layoffs underway across numerous federal agencies and Republican support for job cuts gaining traction, federal workers say they are bracing for uncertainty — fearful their jobs could be politicized or eliminated entirely. For many, the fight is not just about policy but about protecting the work they have dedicated their lives to in service to the American people.
A longtime Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee who attended the rally described her job as something she loved dearly — one she took an oath to uphold in good service to the country.
She told Capital News Service that the recent layoffs and buyouts, which she described as “early resignations,” an assault on federal workers. Despite public misconceptions, she said, those being laid off are not idle or unproductive at home and should never be labeled as slackers. She asked for anonymity so she could speak frankly.
“We do a vital job – we collect 97% of the federal budget that pays for the United States,” she said. “We need protection for what’s happening to us. We work hard; we don’t just eat bonbons and watch TV.”
She said the layoffs and terminations are being framed as a purge of underperforming employees, but she believes that is not the case.
“There are single mothers, single fathers — fired in two days with no notice whatsoever,” she said. “It might not hurt you right now, but it will later, and you will feel it.”
With a megaphone in hand and rain pouring down, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, described listening to Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night as an “avalanche of lies.” He said the falsehoods became so overwhelming that he had to walk out. He assured the rally crowd that he planned to fight the administration in communities all over the country.
“We’re not going to let the rain stop us from shutting down the Elon Musk operation, are we?” he asked, prompting a resounding “No!” from the crowd. “Hell no!” he shouted back.
A probationary worker laid off on Feb. 20 described to CNS his time at Baltimore’s IRS office as an incredibly wonderful experience. Like his colleagues, he emphasized the irony of firing people under the premise of bad performance, adding that individual ratings were never reviewed before cuts were made.
“If they’re trying to make improvements in the federal offices, it’s better to look at everyone’s performance first,” he said the employee, who also asked for anonymity. “We have performance reports every six months, with supervisor check-ins every month, having us provide a report of what we’ve done.”
Reflecting on the process, he added: “How will they look at people now if they’re looking at federal workers this way?”
As a person of color, he said his greatest fear was not just losing his job but existing as a person in this country beyond his job. Another laid-off worker from the same location recognized him mid-conversation and stopped to offer his condolences.
“If you’re an old-timer, think about retirement. If you’re in between, stay strong and hope for the best,” the fellow IRS worker said. “Keep a good attitude – because this too shall pass.”
The Capitol Hill rally was hosted by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) with participation from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and other labor groups.
“It’s not so cold, but it’s not so pleasant,” Hoyer said as the rain soaked the rally. “But it’s much more unpleasant what is being done to our federal employees. It is much more unpleasant the services that will not be done.”
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