Public Employees: Don’t Quit. Get Fired.
Dear Public Employee,
We are in unprecedented times here. The new administration’s appointments of people hostile to the agencies they will oversee, and whirlwind of executive orders seems bent on unwinding every fiber of our government. Expertise is shunned, institutional knowledge is swept into the garbage, and dissent is not tolerated.
The abandonment of protocol, of counsel, of prudence, and even of basic dignity is worrisome. You may be wondering what will be coming next. You may not know what the future of your department is, or what will be asked of you.
If you are concerned you will be asked to break the law, you are fully justified in that concern. If you work for any major agency in Washington, the next 4 years will test your judgement, your ethics, and your patriotism. There is a good chance you will face a dilemma between keeping your job, and betraying our country’s values.
Large swaths of senior management at key agencies such as the State Department have either been pushed out, or left vacant. This is not by accident, but to reduce resistance to the new administration’s agenda. Power is being consolidated to the White House, which demands unquestioning obedience over everything else, including the law.
If you are feeling helpless and demoralized, that’s the point.
You may consider resigning rather than enduring this administration. That is understandable, but I will beg you to reconsider.
If everyone who gets queasy at the unethical and unconstitutional demands that are coming this way resigns, that only serves the interests of a White House which is systematically out to clear away any resistance to a radical and un-American agenda.
Today, acting Attorney General Sally Yates was fired by Donald Trump for “betraying the Department of Justice” after refusing to enforce his illegal ban on Muslim immigrants and refugees from entering the United States. She should be commended for standing up for what she believed was right, and in the spirit of American law. It comes as no surprise that she was fired, but her actions served to slow an unjust order from the President. The immigration ban may still continue, but the delay and resistance still serves an important role. Sally Yates is a hero.
The statement the White House released announcing her termination is scathing, angry, and intended to be a warning to anyone else who might consider pushing back.
You should prepare to push back.
Donald Trump has told us exactly what he intends to do with the power he’s been given, and this is just the first wave of many questionable, unethical, or even treasonous orders that are yet to come. And who’s going to stop him, if not you.
You know how the system works. You know how to slow things down. You know how to refuse orders. You know what’s normal, what’s in bounds and what’s out, and you have a love for your country and want to see it preserved.
Donald Trump intends to make America weak. Docile. Resigned to rule by fiat. You can make his life harder. You can make his changes slower. You can inspire others to maintain perspective, dignity, and the rule of law.
Your country needs you more than ever right now. Don’t let Donald Trump beat you into submission, or push you out of the way, or convince you that you can’t make a difference. You can.
Don’t quit. Dare to get fired.
Looking to do your part? One way to get involved is to read the Indivisible Guide, which is written by former congressional staffers and is loaded with best practices for making Congress listen.
