Republicans GOP leaders have joined liberals in a new bipartisan bill meant to assist thousands of federal workers dismissed by the federal job-sweeping spree of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the controversial agency led by billionaire Elon Musk.
The Protect Our Probationary Employees Act, brought forward by Democratic Representative Sarah Elfreth of Maryland, is now co-sponsored by first-term Republican lawmakers Michael Baumgartner of Washington and Jeff Hurd of Colorado.
If passed, the bill would allow recently fired probationary employees to retain the seniority they had before termination if they are rehired by the federal government. Elfreth, in a statement, called the sudden job terminations an “unprecedented attack” on federal employees.
“These are patriots who serve our country, but instead of being thanked for their service, they were tossed to the curb,” she said.
Democrats get support from Conservatives against DOGE
According to several news sources, the legislation is also supported by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Brad Schneider of Illinois, and Darren Soto of Florida.
Liberal Senators Mark Warner of Virginia and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland are also reportedly planning to introduce a companion bill. Yet, the act would only benefit workers if they are rehired into the same positions, leaving many advocates hoping the courts will compel the administration to reinstate those affected.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is vehemently distancing himself from the firings, telling Republican lawmakers that he is not responsible for the dismissals. According to sources familiar with the matter, Musk met with GOP lawmakers behind closed doors, asking them to point fingers at the individual federal agencies signing the dismissals rather than DOGE leadership.
The Associated Press reported that, in the meetings, Musk insisted that staffing decisions ultimately fall under the authority of each department, not his personal discretion.
“Elon doesn’t fire people,” said Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, trying to push away claims that the billionaire has a hand in the federal job terminations.
Speaking to his cabinet on Thursday, President Trump also reiterated that Musk’s authority is limited to advising agencies on efficiency measures rather than executing terminations.
Still, after the cabinet meeting, the POTUS told reporters that he instructed government secretaries to watch out who they cut, as he didn’t want “to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut.”
More lawmakers push for reinstatement of fired federal workers
The latest proposed bill to “save veteran jobs’ comes just over a week after another legislative effort sought to reverse DOGE’s mass firings.
In a Washington press conference, Rep. LaMonica McIver introduced the Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination (MERIT) Act to reinstate federal workers who lost jobs under Musk’s DOGE directive and provide them with back pay.
McIver’s office said that the MERIT Act currently has 66 co-sponsors and backing from six major labor unions. The New Jersey Democratic-party-aligned leader was joined by Rep. Rashida Tlaib and leaders of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE).
“These mass firings are not about poor performance or government efficiency, they’re about Musk and Trump’s promise to gut the civil service and harm our nation,” McIver said. She warned that the terminations have put several fundamental government functions on hold, including veterans’ healthcare.
Rashida Tlaib also spoke about these concerns, stating that federal workers’ jobs need protection because they make sure Social Security payments, food assistance, and housing support for vulnerable Americans come on time.
“Musk and Trump’s ongoing attack on federal workers is out of control. It’s causing real harm and chaos for everyday people,” she said.
Cryptopolitan Academy: Want to grow your money in 2025? Learn how to do it with DeFi in our upcoming webclass. Save Your Spot
