Committee Democrats Urge Trump Administration to Reverse Firings

Committee Democrats Urge Trump Administration to Reverse Firings

"[W]e call upon you to immediately reverse the layoffs and engage in a transparent manner with Congress. Without it, the education, health, and safety of those in our country hangs in the balance."

WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce led Committee Democrats in urging Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director, Russell Vought, to reinstate thousands of unlawfully terminated employees at the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

These civil servants and the rest of the country, who depend on the critical programs at ED and HHS, discovered these firings would occur through a social media post from Russell Vought's account. These terminations will make it harder for low-income Americans to meet the demand of rising costs and impact students' ability to access an equitable education.

"Instead of trying to prevent service disruptions for Americans living in poverty during the government shutdown, this Administration appears to be taking the opportunity to achieve its own policy objectives through destruction of these two federal programs by targeting the personnel who administer them, a clear subversion of the law," wrote the Members.

"[W]e call upon you to immediately reverse the layoffs and engage in a transparent manner with Congress," the Members continued. "Without it, the health and safety of those in our country, as well as the education of our nation's students, hangs in the balance."

On October 14, 2025, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Administration from immediately dismissing some of the federal workers during a government shutdown.

Since February, the Trump Administration has fired tens of thousands of government employees. While some have been rehired, these haphazard actions ultimately harm workers, students, and families.

To read the full letter, click here.

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