WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in introducing the of the Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination (MERIT) Act. This timely legislation would reinstate recently terminated probationary federal employees and provide them back pay.

“The Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on the federal workforce have hit Virginians especially hard. Not only have these senseless cuts and layoffs caused unnecessary pain for the federal workforce, but they are making us less safe in the process. Congress must act to undo this damage by reinstating federal employees who were unjustly fired and giving them the back pay they deserve,” said Sen. Warner. 

“Trump and Musk’s illegal cuts to the nonpartisan civil service have disrupted government’s basic operation and disproportionately impacted veterans in Virginia and across the country,” said Sen. Kaine. “Reinstating these professional civil servants is critical for our economy and national security. That’s why I’m cosponsoring the MERIT Act, and will keep doing all that I can to fight for the patriotic Americans who have dedicated their lives to serving our communities through public service.”

“This bill protects and restores the meritorious civil servants shamefully attacked by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. If DOGE were serious about rooting out unqualified workers, they’d focus on their own disastrous cabinet nominees: be it a Secretary of Defense who is leaking classified war plans, or a Secretary of Labor who isn’t clear on collective bargaining agreement enforcement, or a Secretary of Health and Human Services who believes our race should determine our vaccine schedules. We have a duty to stand by the patriotic civil servants who work day and night on behalf of the American people. Our bill is an important step towards restoring the full suite of services that our federal employees provide to the American people,” said Sen. Alsobrooks.

“The Trump-Musk Administration’s illegal purge of federal employees is not only hurting our hard-working public servants — it is wreaking havoc on important services for all Americans. As we support efforts in the courts to reverse these dangerous attacks on federal employees and the work they do, we’re also fighting in Congress. This legislation will allow our federal workers to get back on the job so they can continue serving the American people,” said Sen. Van Hollen.

“NFFE is fully supportive of the MERIT Act to reinstate illegally terminated federal employees, allowing them to return to work and continue delivering critical services for the American people,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “These are dedicated public servants who care for our veterans, maintain our military readiness, protect our communities from natural disasters, and so much more. Congress must reverse the President's unlawful and dangerous attempts to dismantle the civil service. Thank you to Senator Alsobrooks for her commitment to federal workers.”

“Our union applauds Senator Alsobrooks for leading this bill to reinstate thousands of highly qualified federal employees who have been unjustly terminated as part of a Trump-Musk effort to dismantle federal agencies and public services. Not only were these mass firings a reckless misuse of taxpayer dollars and public resources, but these actions have been judged illegal by federal courts. So many of these talented federal workers are veterans, and experienced professionals who were recently promoted, but all of them were hired as federal civil servants due to their qualifications and their competency for the job,” said International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Matt Biggs.

“The MERIT ACT is greatly needed at a time when so many in our federal workforce have been unjustly fired, and when thousands more, including SEIU members, are doing their jobs in the hostile, chaotic environment created by this administration and DOGE. Federal workers who provide critical services to our communities from agencies such as Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency are navigating through massive job layoffs while scrambling to pay rent, keep the lights on, and feed their families. SEIU is proud to support this bill that will reinstate DOGE-fired workers and ensure that they have backpay they’re due, so they can continue to provide vital services in good and bad times.” said SEIU President April Verrett. 

The MERIT Act would reinstate federal employees, including probationary workers who were recently promoted or hired, who were fired from federal agencies and departments as part of the ongoing mass layoffs. The bill would provide back pay, treat the employees as “involuntarily separated without cause,” and require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit to Congress a report on the number of workers fired and other information about the layoffs. 

The MERIT Act has been endorsed by: 

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)

National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)

National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

The American Federation of Labor (AFL)