Attorney General Kris Mayes is spearheading a charge, flanked by a cadre of fellow state attorneys general, to probe into the current administration’s handling of federal employees who happen to be veterans or their spouses. As per a press release from her office, Mayes and her coalition have deployed a volley of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests aimed at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), with a focus on the fallout from the Trump Administration's recent wave of federal employee terminations.
At the heart of the matter is the respect—or perceivable lack thereof—afforded to veterans and their spouses within the federal workforce. "Veterans and their families have sacrificed for this country, and they deserve respect—not mass firings driven by political agendas," Mayes stated, emphasizing her concern as mentioned in the same press release. These FOIA requests are digging for several specifics: the number of terminated federal employees with veterans’ preference, data on layoffs concerning vets or their partners, and any relevant exchanges orbiting around the effect of these dismissals. These inquiries are especially pertinent, considering the implementations of Executive Orders 14210 and 14217, directives knitted with intentions of scaling down the federal workforce.
Californian, Marylander, Minnesotan, New Mexican, New Yorker, Rhode Islander, and Washingtonian—all these states’ attorneys general, in chorus with Mayes, have submitted their demands for transparency. As the investigation moves forward, these attorneys general remain committed to accountability. The search for answers continues, and the public watches closely, awaiting the truth.
