Comer & Sessions Statement on Federal Workers’ Walkout to Protest U.S. Support for Israel

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) issued the following statement on reports some federal employees planned to walk out on the job to protest the United States’ support for Israel:

“Federal employees have First Amendment rights like any other citizen, and they can exercise these rights on their own time in their capacity as a private citizen. What they do not have is the ability to strike, which courts have defined as the voluntary withholding of services in concert with others, be it to protest support for our ally Israel or any other issue. Since the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel on October 7, through a series of anonymous ‘open letters’ and ‘dissent cables’ hundreds of federal employees have sought to use their positions to change U.S. policy towards Israel. Now, a group of federal employees are organizing a ‘collective action’ to protest support for Israel, and claim to have participants from 22 federal agencies, including the Executive Office of the President, National Security Agency, the Departments of Defense and State, and other key national security agencies. Such a collective action, whether participants applied for leave or not, may constitute an illegal strike, and those participating should be prosecuted and subjected to appropriate disciplinary proceedings.

“When federal employees openly sought to thwart the policies of President Trump, Democrats labeled attempts to restore accountability as ‘attempts to return to a patronage system.’ Now, they are getting a taste of their own medicine. Federal employees are accountable to elected leaders and the American people – they are not an unelected fourth branch of government that gets to pick and choose which policies are ‘right’ for the country.

“We are working with Speaker Johnson to ensure federal agencies take necessary disciplinary measures against anyone who doesn’t show up for the American people, including to protest, and we will examine legislative solutions to ensure the federal workforce is held accountable.”