IFPTE President Matt Biggs Joins Union Leaders, Members of Congress in the Fight to Defend Civil Service

President Biggs speaking at the rally to defend the civil service.

Hundreds of labor leaders and activists rallied in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to raise their voices against the mounting assault on federal workers and their unions by President Trump, Elon Musk, and other members of the Administration.  They were joined by dozens of Senators and Representatives who pledged to fight and offered candid criticisms of the president.  

“Musk and Trump are despicable human beings,” Biggs said.  “What’s worse is a Congress that’s run by the Republicans – they run this whole damn thing here – and they're doing nothing.”  Biggs called on pro-labor, pro-worker members of Congress to join the cause. 

Speaking to Biggs’s call, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed to bring his party into the fight to protect civil servants and their unions.  “We are standing in solidarity with each and every one of you during this incredibly fragile time,” Jeffries told the crowd.  “The attack on you, the attack on the civil service, is unacceptable, unconscionable, un-American, and we are going to stand with you until each and every one of those unlawful executive orders are fully and completely reversed, buried in the ground, never to rise again!”  

The rally, organized by the American Federation of Government Employees and including members from over a dozen unions, occurred during IFPTE’s annual Legislative Conference.  IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson spoke about the timing of the events.  “Those who attack civil servants for short-term political gain will know after this week that IFPTE is ready to defend our members everywhere: in the streets, in the halls of power, in the courts, and at the ballot box,” Henson said.  “We are not afraid to stand up and, with a renewed sense of purpose and solidarity, we are ready to fight back!” 

Before and after the rally, attendees of the Legislative Conference fanned out across Capitol Hill to speak to their elected leaders about the professionalism, expertise, and dedication that IFPTE members bring to the job every day.