Federal employee union celebrates early wins against Trump but preparing for the long haul

Union leaders and members of Congress on Monday sought to motivate attendees at the American Federation of Government Employees conference in Washington, D.C., as civil servants gear up to face existential threats under the Trump administration. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to stand up for what’s right! I’m in the fight! Are you in the fight?” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said, prompting the conference room crowd to stand up while Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” played.   

Speakers touted some initial court wins, including AFGE-backed lawsuits that have temporarily paused the “deferred resignations” program for federal workers, the mass placement on leave of U.S. Agency for International Development employees and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment system. 

“We must provide legal advocacy as never before to ensure that this administration’s lawlessness gets slapped down — hard — over and over and over and over again,” Kelley said. 

Lawmakers also stressed that mobilizing public opinion was integral to counter the Trump administration’s efforts to remove federal employees en masse. 

“This democracy needs your activism now in a way that it hasn’t in my entire lifetime,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told attendees. 

While some congressional Democrats have said that a March 14 deadline to avert a government shutdown could be an opportunity to negotiate reversals of Trump’s actions, Kelley said that AFGE is not advocating for a government shutdown. 

“We think that anytime the government shuts down it hurts America. And that’s who we are concerned with,” he said during a media roundtable Monday. “We are concerned — genuinely concerned — about the services that we render for the American people. We know they need it.” 

AFGE officials also celebrated that the union recently reached 321,000 dues-paying members, which is the highest in its history. 

“I really want to send [Trump] an organizing award, but I don’t know how appropriate that would be,” Kelley said. “We had a goal set to be at 325,000 dues-paying members by the end of this year — the end of December 2025. I anticipate that we will reach that goal by the end of this week.” 

Still, conference speakers said they are girding for protracted battles with the Trump administration over federal employee issues. 

At the end of his remarks, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., quoted Thomas Paine: “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered. But we have this saving consolation — the more difficult the struggle, the more glorious in the end will be our victory.” 

And then the former constitutional law professor summarized that sentiment by simply saying “hang tight everybody, hang tight.”