Federal workforce firings prompt ‘No Kings Day’ protests

WASHINGTON - The nation could learn of more federal workforce firings as early as Monday, but one group is fighting back with nationwide protests. The 50501 Movement has planned a "No Kings Day" protest across the country on this federal holiday, President's Day.

"No Kings Day" protest targets federal workforce cuts nationwide

The 50501 Movement, named for its goal of 50 protests in 50 states, is planning demonstrations at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., and in major cities nationwide. The group's flyer declares its mission to unite against "fascism and tyranny," condemning what they see as anti-democratic and illegal moves by the Trump administration to slash the federal workforce.

Protests have gained momentum as efforts to shrink the federal workforce have intensified. Officials and unions report layoffs at USAID, NIH, and the VA, and the Associated Press states that the IRS is also expected to lose thousands of staffers as tax season begins. Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, to execute massive federal staffing cuts. We went into the weekend learning that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) instructed agencies to lay off probationary employees, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers nationwide.

Trump administration's staffing reductions spark nationwide demonstrations

"We still won't know the full scope of these numbers until later this week, but I think we're going to be talking about tens of thousands of people laid off," said Joey Garrison, USA Today White House correspondent, on the FOX 5 Sunday politics show, 'On the Hill.' "I don't think this is the end of these moves either. I think we're here now on step two, and Elon Musk has talked about deleting entire agencies. He's mentioned cuts of 40% of agencies, and I think that could be what we're going to see in the weeks ahead."

According to the Associated Press, recent government data maintained by OPM shows that as of March 2024, 220,000 workers had been on the job for less than a year. The protest in Washington, D.C., is planned for noon on Monday.