Democracy Forward witness says civil service was "decimated," alleges up to 100,000 veteran job losses
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Summary
A representative of Democracy Forward’s Civil Service Strong program testified that the administration has undermined the federal civil service, citing more than 400 lawsuits and an estimated 100,000 veteran job losses; the claims were presented as the organization’s assessment and were not independently verified in the testimony.
The managing director of Civil Service Strong at Democracy Forward said the organization has ramped up legal and advocacy work in response to what they called the administration’s dismantling of the federal civil service. "Democracy Forward is a nonpartisan national legal organization... committed to achieving a nation and a democracy that enables all people living in America to thrive," the speaker said.
The witness said Democracy Forward has pursued "more than 400 legal actions and secured more than 100 positive court rulings," and described Civil Service Strong as "a collaborative comprehensive response" that uses advocacy, storytelling, organizing, resources, data and policy to protect civil servants and strengthen public institutions. The speaker attributed those figures to the organization's work and presented them as context for the program’s mission.
Drawing on prior work at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the speaker said the administration "has taken a wrecking ball to our civil service and decimated the federal workforce." The witness described the effect as widespread and said the changes have "harmed everyone in America who relies on essential government functions." The testimony included a specific, disputed estimate: "This administration's policies... constitute the largest vets firing initiative of our time with an estimated 100,000 vets losing their jobs," the speaker said. The figure was presented by the witness and was not independently verified in the testimony.
The speaker also emphasized that the jobs held by the affected veterans were "critical to people across the country" and characterized the list of eliminated positions as "endless," using that language to underscore the potential operational impact of the claimed reductions.
The testimony closed with a renewed description of Civil Service Strong’s goals: coordinating efforts to protect civil servants, strengthen public institutions and advance a vision of government that works for all people. The witness identified their role as managing director of the Civil Service Strong program at Democracy Forward and referenced prior work at OPM.