IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) 鈥� The largest union for federal employees is planning to lay off more than half of its staff nationwide after President executive actions have rapidly weakened the organization鈥檚 finances, the union said Thursday.
The American Federation of Government Employees will move ahead with a reduction in force that could cut its 355 employees to approximately 150, eliminating organizers, national representatives, support staff and others.
The layoffs will weaken a leading opponent to Trump's dramatic reshaping of the federal government.
AFGE has filed a flurry of lawsuits seeking to block everything from the to the sharing of sensitive data with billionaire Department of Government Efficiency. It has also helped organize protests and other pushback against Trump and .
In a statement after its national executive council approved the plan Thursday, the union blamed Trump's policies for the layoffs, calling them a setback, 鈥渂ut not the end of AFGE 鈥� not by a longshot.鈥�
鈥淲e will not be deterred, silenced or intimidated into submission,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淲hether it's in the courts, on Capitol Hill, or in the press, AFGE will continue to stand tall and defend the rights of America's civil servants as long as it takes.鈥�
The White House has declared AFGE a 鈥渉ostile鈥� organization that has too much power over how the government functions.
Trump seeking to strip union rights from roughly 600,000 of the 800,000 federal workers that AFGE represents, including those at the and the . The previously from 47,000 Transportation Security Administration workers.
The union is challenging those moves in court, arguing they are illegal and retaliatory.
After Trump鈥檚 orders, agencies have stopped allowing employees to have their union membership dues automatically deducted from their paychecks, striking at the union鈥檚 finances. The union has been engaged in a frenetic push to convince members to pay dues through electronic bank account withdrawals, but still expects to see a significant reduction in revenue.
The downsizing is expected to cut more than 100 employees who work under the national AFGE president's office, and dozens more who work around the country for the union's 12 districts.
One union president said the staff cuts would be devastating for the ability of AFGE鈥檚 local unions to represent employees.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to demolish us,鈥� said Justin Youngblood, president of an AFGE chapter that represents workers at a VA hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 going to cut the legs off of AFGE and all of the locals.鈥�
He said the union's national leadership should have been better prepared to manage an expected downturn in revenue during Trump's second term.
The news comes days after AFGE organized a town hall in Kansas City where scores of federal workers denounced the mass firings, reorganizations and chaotic return-to-office mandates that they have endured under Trump鈥檚 new term.
Employees haven鈥檛 been notified which of them will be cut but earlier received notices from the union that permanent layoffs could take effect as early as June.
Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press
