Hundreds of federal employees from 22 agencies are reportedly planning a walkout on Jan. 16.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) criticized federal employees reportedly planning a walkout over U.S. support for Israel in its war against Hamas and called for terminating their employment.
“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,” Mr. Johnson said in a Jan. 14 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 14, 2024
Oversight Chairman Comer and I will be working together to ensure that each federal agency… https://t.co/jcWa4bI3Db
“Oversight Chairman Comer and I will be working together to ensure that each federal agency initiates appropriate disciplinary proceedings against any person who walks out on their job.”
He was referring to Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.).
The House Speaker’s comments came in response to an X post by Joyce Karam, senior news editor at Al-Monitor.
“Hundreds of U.S. gov. employees plan walkout on Tuesday over Biden’s Gaza policies,” the post reads.
In total, workers from 22 government agencies are expected to be involved in the walkout, Ms. Karam said in a Jan. 12 post.
A list obtained by Al-Monitor shows that departments involved in the walkout include the National Security Agency, the Executive Office of the President, the Naval Research Laboratory, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the State, Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs departments.
A walkout by federal employees could count as a strike, which is prohibited by law.
Title 5 Section 7311 of the U.S. Code states: “An individual may not accept or hold a position in the Government of the United States or the government of the District of Columbia if he … participates in a strike, or asserts the right to strike, against the Government of the United States or the government of the District of Columbia.”
Title 18 Section 1918 prescribes the punishment for such an action. Violators of Section 7311 “shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year and a day, or both.”
