The SERVICE Act and the Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act would protect federal workers and their agencies from the reckless attacks of the Trump Administration.
Both pieces of legislation, introduced in early April by Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan of Virginia, Congresswoman Nikema Williams of Georgia, and Congressman Jamie Raskin and Congresswoman April McClain Delaney of Maryland, would also secure the ability of federal workers to continue serving the Americans.
The SERVICE Act would prevent an agency from reducing its workforce by 5 percent or greater in a given fiscal year without conducting a full impact analysis of the cuts on the agency’s ability to carry out its mission, and the GAO evaluating the accuracy of that evaluation.
The Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act would amend 5 USC 3101, the general authority provision that allows the government to employ, from a ‘may employ’ to a ‘shall employ’, and requires an agency to justify their inability or refusal to comply with the requirement.
“Our civil servants are the backbone of a government that serves the people, not political whims. The SERVICE Act and the Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act will protect these workers from reckless cuts that undermine critical services and public trust. I urge my colleagues to pass these bills to protect our federal workforce and hold this slash-and-burn Administration accountable,” McClellan said.
According to Williams, federal workers have faced scrutiny, wage insecurity, public doxxing and wrongful terminations since Donald Trump became president.
“We all want a more efficient federal government, but ripping the rug out from underneath federal workers who show up daily to serve the public is not the way to go about it. Our country’s veterans, public health, national security, and more are all threatened by this administration’s reckless actions toward our federal agencies. The SERVICE Act and Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act would protect workers and keep these necessary federal agencies properly functioning and serving the people of this country,” Williams said.
Raskin said Trump and Elon Musk “continue their shocking assault on federal workers by sacking food safety inspectors, air traffic controllers, cancer researchers and park service rangers. DOGE is a demolition crew dismantling the critical services American families rely on. I’m grateful to join Congresswoman Williams in trying to legislate to stop Trump from destroying our government.”
“I’m proud to support the SERVICE Act to protect the integrity of our government. No agency should be allowed to slash its workforce without fully understanding the consequences for its mission. The Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act goes even further, requiring agencies to justify every staffing shortfall. These aren’t just bureaucratic measures — they’re critical efforts to ensure our government works for the American people and that essential services remain intact,” Delaney said.
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Rebecca Barnabi
