House Speaker Mike Johnson calls to fire any federal workers who take part in planned ‘walkout’ over Gaza policy
Federal employees “deserve” to be fired if they participate in a planned walkout to protest President Biden’s handling of Israel’s war against Hamas, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday.
The Louisiana Republican made the statement on X, commenting on an AL-Monitor news article that reported workers in at least 22 agencies plan to protest Biden’s policy involving Gaza by joining the work stoppage Tuesday.
“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,” Johnson posted. “They deserve to be fired.”
Johnson vowed to work with fellow Republican, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, to “ensure that each federal agency initiates appropriate disciplinary proceedings against any person who walks out on their job.”
A group of dozens of federal workers billing itself as Feds United for Peace is reportedly planning to hold a “Day of Mourning” that would mark the 100th day of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, per AL-Monitor.
The Jewish state launched the military action after Hamas terrorists slaughtered 1,200 and kidnapped more than 200 Israelis during a sneak attack on Oct. 7.
The Hamas-backed Gaza health ministry said nearly 24,000 Palestinians have been killed over the last three months.
Israel’s military said it has killed about 9,000 Palestinian fighters and has lost 189 Israel Defense Forces soldiers so far.
The organizers of Tuesday’s expected protest told AL-Monitor they believe “hundreds” of other workers will join after staffers from 22 federal agencies pledged to walk out.
The workers include employees of the Executive Office of the President; the departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs; as well as the National Security Agency, the outlet reported.
Additionally, members of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Naval Research Laboratory, the National Park Service, the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency are also expected to protest during the work day, per the outlet.
“What you’re seeing with this effort is something very unusual, and that is for the dissent to be manifested via a physical act,” one organizer told AL-Monitor.
The protest comes as Biden, a Democrat, has faced mounting pressure over his support of Israel from inside and outside the federal government.
Biden told hecklers at a campaign event last week that he’s “quietly” pushing Israel to “significantly get out of Gaza.”
The commander-in-chief’s statement comes days after Israeli officials moved to reduce troop levels in Gaza.
Anti-Israel demonstrators targeted the White House Saturday night as they shouted “f—k Joe Biden” and pushed up against a reinforced fence outside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Non-essential staffers were evacuated from the area as a precaution as the aggressive rally intensified, the Secret Service said.
With Post wires
