WASHINGTON — A group of roughly 80 fired federal employees on Wednesday appealed their terminations to an administrative body in charge of protecting the rights of federal employees from partisan political practices. Notably, that board’s chairwoman was also recently fired by President Donald Trump.
The 18F employees, who worked on technology projects such as the IRS’ Direct File, filed an appeal at the Merit Systems Protection Board against the General Services Administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
They claim they were identified in February for a reduction-in-force because of their “perceived political affiliations or beliefs,” as well as “protected speech and actions supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and actions to resist and blow the whistle on management’s improper handling and transition of control concerning sensitive data and systems.”
In February, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted on his social media site that he had “deleted” 18F. Musk was responding to a post by an X user who called 18F “far left” and mused that Direct File “puts the government in charge” of preparing people’s taxes. “That group has been deleted,” Musk wrote.
The appeal documents state that the employees were removed from federal service “through a purported RIF because they were perceived to be left-wing, radical, or affiliated with DEI activities,” which “abuses the laws and regulations governing RIFs to punish perceived political opponents and to coerce conformity with their values and political positions, and violates federal civil rights statutes.”
One of the MSPB’s primary functions is to protect federal workers against partisan politics and other prohibited personnel practices by adjudicating employee appeals, according to the board’s website.
The workers’ complaint comes after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to fire the head of the board, Cathy Harris, while a lawsuit plays out.
According to the MSPB website, as of April 9, Acting Chairman Henry Kerner is the sole serving board member, and the board is currently without a quorum to vote on petitions for review.
A White House official did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.