WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) in leading their colleagues in introducing the Securing Assurance for Federal Employees (SAFE) Act. The legislation would explicitly prohibit the federal government from carrying out reductions in force (RIFs) during a lapse in appropriations. The bill would also reverse RIF actions taken during the current government shutdown.
“Trump is using RIFs as a political tool to punish hardworking federal workers and their families during this Republican shutdown, sowing chaos for hundreds of thousands of people,” said Senator Hirono. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this legislation to combat this Administration’s lawlessness and protect the jobs and livelihoods of crucial federal employees.”
The SAFE Act comes in response to recent efforts by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to initiate thousands of RIFs during the ongoing shutdown – an unprecedented step that a federal judge has already said appears “politically motivated,” illegal, and “arbitrary and capricious.”
More than 4,000 federal employees have received RIF notices since early October. While the court has temporarily blocked these actions, the threat remains for many other federal employees serving the American public without pay during this shutdown.
Current law does not permit agencies to conduct RIFs during a lapse in appropriations. This bill reaffirms and makes explicit Congress’s intent that no administration may use a shutdown as a pretext to initiate layoffs. The SAFE Act makes clear that such actions have no legal force and ensures federal workers cannot be targeted for job cuts during a funding lapse.
The legislation is endorsed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Education Association (NEA), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
In addition to Senators Hirono, Schumer, Warner, Kaine, and Alsobrooks, this legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The full text of the legislation is available here.
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