Johnson Wants Protesting Federal Staffers Fired

By the time you read this, all of this will have already played out… well, almost all of it.

Reports surfaced earlier in the week that federal employees, including some White House staffers, were planning to hold a mass walkout to protest the support for Israel in its war against Hamas.

When Speaker Johnson (R-LA) found out about it, he immediately took the stance that any worker who leaves their post in protest should be terminated.

Fire Them All

You can do what you want on your personal time, but when you are on the clock, you should be working, not protesting.

That, however, was the plan for some federal workers on Tuesday.

Johnson was livid when the reports broke about the possible walkout, stating, "Any government worker who walks off the job to protest US support for our ally Israel is ignoring their responsibility and abusing the trust of taxpayers. They deserve to be fired."

Any government worker who walks off the job to protest U.S. support for our ally Israel is ignoring their responsibility and abusing the trust of taxpayers. They deserve to be fired.

Oversight Chairman Comer and I will be working together to ensure that each federal agency… https://t.co/jcWa4bI3Db

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 14, 2024

The walkout has been organized by a group called "Feds United for Peace."

According to the report, employees from at least 22 different federal agencies will be taking part in the organized walkout.

The organization was recommending that employees simply stay home that day, calling into work to take a personal or sick day.

The group maintained that it had consulted with attorneys to ensure the protest did not violate any federal laws.

One of the organizers tried to dampen the idea that this was a protest, stating, "This is not a strike. This is a day of mourning. The purpose is to provide space for ourselves to mourn and heal. We serve the American people every day and do so with conviction and pride.”

Some have questioned if this would be a violation of the Hatch Act, and there is an argument to be made there.

By Wednesday, we should have more to report on this.