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President Donald Trump’s administration’s firing of federal workers has elicited an outpouring of support for them.Sue Dorfman/ZUMA
The National Science Foundation (NSF) today reinstated all but two of the 86 full-time employees with probationary status it had fired on 18 February as part of a White House–ordered purge of government workers across dozens of federal agencies. Not affected by NSF’s action, however, are some 84 part-time scientific “experts” who were dismissed at the same time.
NSF’s announcement today comes after a federal judge last Thursday told the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to rescind its directive to agencies to fire all recently hired workers, called probationary employees. On Friday, NSF received guidance from OPM to bring back some 30 probationary workers who were veterans, military spouses, or those with disabilities. But today’s move expanded the recall further.
“NSF welcomes the return of our probationary employees,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a written statement, his first public comment since President Donald Trump took office. “This is welcome news to all of us. I want to thank all of you for your tireless efforts, even under great stress and uncertainty, that is necessary to allow NSF to continue to advance incredible ideas and talent throughout our nation.”
The terminated NSF employees were part of a class action suit brought by their national union, the American Federation of Government Employees, against OPM. On 27 February, U.S. District Court Senior District Judge William Alsup ruled that OPM “does not have any authority … to hire and fire employees at another agency.”
Geoscientist Andrew Frassetto was one of two fired NSF employees who agreed to support the union in its suit against the government. OPM had argued it merely gave agencies “guidance” on enforcing the Trump administration’s order to dismiss all probationary employees as part of a broader effort to shrink the federal workforce. But Frassetto, who managed a $20-million-a-year program funding facilities and large equipment to support geological research around the world, countered that claim in a declaration to the court based on a transcript of the Zoom session in which he was fired.
“During the meeting, [NSF Chief Management Officer] Micah Cheatham told all the terminated employees that NSF did not make the decision to terminate the employment of probationary employees,” Frassetto told the court. “Instead, he stated that NSF had previously chosen to retain probationary employees, but [on 14 February], NSF received direction from OPM to terminate our employment.
Alsup’s decision to issue a temporary restraining order applies to the job actions taken this month by more than two dozen federal agencies. The judge noted he doesn’t have the authority to reinstate the federal workers, but NSF’s action seems to indicate that the door is now open.
“I really love my job, and I can’t wait to get an email [from NSF] and head back to work,” Frassetto said this morning. “I started working at NSF [last fall] as it was preparing to mark its 75th anniversary, and I am hoping to be here to celebrate its one hundredth.”
President Donald Trump’s administration’s firing of federal workers has elicited an outpouring of support for them.Sue Dorfman/ZUMA
The National Science Foundation (NSF) today reinstated all but two of the 86 full-time employees with probationary status it had fired on 18 February as part of a White House–ordered purge of government workers across dozens of federal agencies. Not affected by NSF’s action, however, are some 84 part-time scientific “experts” who were dismissed at the same time.
NSF’s announcement today comes after a federal judge last Thursday told the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to rescind its directive to agencies to fire all recently hired workers, called probationary employees. On Friday, NSF received guidance from OPM to bring back some 30 probationary workers who were veterans, military spouses, or those with disabilities. But today’s move expanded the recall further.
“NSF welcomes the return of our probationary employees,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a written statement, his first public comment since President Donald Trump took office. “This is welcome news to all of us. I want to thank all of you for your tireless efforts, even under great stress and uncertainty, that is necessary to allow NSF to continue to advance incredible ideas and talent throughout our nation.”
The terminated NSF employees were part of a class action suit brought by their national union, the American Federation of Government Employees, against OPM. On 27 February, U.S. District Court Senior District Judge William Alsup ruled that OPM “does not have any authority … to hire and fire employees at another agency.”
Geoscientist Andrew Frassetto was one of two fired NSF employees who agreed to support the union in its suit against the government. OPM had argued it merely gave agencies “guidance” on enforcing the Trump administration’s order to dismiss all probationary employees as part of a broader effort to shrink the federal workforce. But Frassetto, who managed a $20-million-a-year program funding facilities and large equipment to support geological research around the world, countered that claim in a declaration to the court based on a transcript of the Zoom session in which he was fired.
“During the meeting, [NSF Chief Management Officer] Micah Cheatham told all the terminated employees that NSF did not make the decision to terminate the employment of probationary employees,” Frassetto told the court. “Instead, he stated that NSF had previously chosen to retain probationary employees, but [on 14 February], NSF received direction from OPM to terminate our employment.
Alsup’s decision to issue a temporary restraining order applies to the job actions taken this month by more than two dozen federal agencies. The judge noted he doesn’t have the authority to reinstate the federal workers, but NSF’s action seems to indicate that the door is now open.
“I really love my job, and I can’t wait to get an email [from NSF] and head back to work,” Frassetto said this morning. “I started working at NSF [last fall] as it was preparing to mark its 75th anniversary, and I am hoping to be here to celebrate its one hundredth.”
