I received the following response from my representative in the House today. I couldn’t figure out which of my many emails and calls he was responding to so I’ll just post it here for posterity. Really, it’s just more nonsense. It’s clear he cares about nothing other than supporting the party line.
Thank you for contacting me about recent Executive Orders regarding the federal workforce. I always appreciate hearing from constituents and welcome this opportunity to respond.
Upon taking office, President Trump used his executive authority to begin reducing the size of the federal workforce, which contains more than 2.4 million employees, excluding the U.S. Postal Service and Department of Defense. One initiative introduced a voluntary deferred resignation program for employees. The Administration also instituted a hiring freeze, with various exemptions, for up to 90 days. As you may know, the roles of probationary employees, who have less than one or two years of service depending on their type of service and are not considered permanent employees by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, have been impacted. As federal agencies work to reduce the size of the federal workforce, exemptions are being made. For example, the National Park Service, in particular, will continue hiring up to 7,700 seasonal workers, which is 20% higher than the 3 year average.
As your Representative in Congress, I know that supporting the hardworking federal employees of Southwest Michigan goes hand in hand with our goal to make the government more accountable to the American people. Congress, as with all presidential administrations, must continue to exercise its oversight authority and ensure federal agencies are operating within the bounds of the law as required by President Trump’s executive order. As always, should you need help navigating a federal agency, including as a federal employee, please never hesitate to reach out to my office.
Again, I appreciate you contacting me, and please do not hesitate to do so in the future. To stay up to date with the latest news on our work in Congress, you may sign up at huizenga.house.gov/forms/emailsignup to receive my e-newsletter.
Sincerely,
Bill Huizenga
Member of Congress