Federal workers in Philadelphia join nationwide protests over layoffs and funding freeze

Federal workers and supporters gathered on Wednesday evening near Independence National Historical Park in protest of recent shake-ups to the federal workforce, including layoffs.

The protest, organized by the Federal Unionists Network, is part of a national day of action. In the Philadelphia area, the scope of the layoff impacts remained unclear as of Wednesday, but some details of terminations have started to emerge, including job eliminations for two workers at Independence Park.

The U.S. government’s human resources agency, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), has said it intends to shrink federal agencies, and on his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued orders to freeze federal hiring, bring federal workers back to in-person work full time, and end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

The OPM also sent out an email to federal workers in January inviting them to resign from their positions with eight months’ pay. orkers were told that if they did not take the offer, there was not “full assurance" that their job or agency would continue to exist. Some local union leaders have expressed skepticism of the deal.

On Wednesday around 5 p.m., more than 60 federal workers and supporters gathered in subfreezing temperatures in Philadelphia with signs that read “Delete DOGE” with the face of Elon Musk crossed out, “This man is not our boss” over the face of the billionaire, and “We will not back down.”

Protesters were demonstrating against the recent layoffs, the federal funding freeze, and were demanding that services not be cut, according to the organizer’s website.

Cat Farman, president of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau union NTEU 335, said on Wednesday that her union was protesting alongside others across the country “to stop Elon Musk and his illegal firing so we can get back to work protecting Americans from corporate greed.”

“When a big bank or a financial company rips you off, it’s CFPB workers who make them pay,” she said. “We are the watchdog who oversees Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America.”

Musk is widely considered the leader of the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, which aims to cut government spending, but the White House recently claimed that he is not the group’s leader.

Elected officials were among those protesting Wednesday night, including City Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke.

“We’re gonna fight for the services that Philadelphians and Americans rely upon,” he said.

O’Rourke also noted the Philadelphia ties to the COVID vaccine, and that its development would not have been possible without decades of research from the National Institutes of Health. The Trump administration has threatened to cut NIH funding, which could impact research conducted in Philadelphia.

Toward the end of the protest, those in attendance started chanting “DOGE, DOGE, go away. Keep your hands off the VA.”

Ed Welch, president of the union local that represents workers at Independence National Historical Park, asserted that the recent layoffs of probationary employees is not about efficiency or cutting costs.

“This is an abuse of new employees, an abuse of the probationary period, because those are the most vulnerable among us,” said Welch. “Who among us now would advise their children to join the federal workforce? What will be the future of the federal workforce?”