Federal workers are hoping to save their jobs from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s mass layoffs in a desperate attempt. Reportedly, federal employees are rushing to The Merit Systems Protection Board, or MSPB to hold onto their jobs.
The MSPB is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for overseeing and protecting the merit-based system of employment in the federal civil service. Its primary role is to ensure that federal employees are treated fairly and that decisions regarding their employment, such as promotions, discipline, and dismissals, are made based on merit rather than political influence or discrimination.
READ: DOGE leaders Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy target 94% of remote federal workers (December 9, 2024)
The Board handles appeals from federal employees who believe they have been wronged by their agency, including cases involving wrongful termination, disciplinary actions, or violations of workplace rights. The MSPB also ensures compliance with laws that govern federal employment practices, such as the Civil Service Reform Act.
With the authority to conduct investigations and hearings to resolve disputes as well as appeal its decisions at federal courts, federal workers who are now facing sudden layoffs under the Trump administration are turning to the MSPB.
Catching onto the fact that the MSPB serves as a safeguard to ensure fairness and accountability within the federal workforce, laid-off employees might have overwhelmed the Board with their requests.
The MSPB reportedly is facing an avalanche of new cases as the Trump administration plows ahead with its efforts to significantly reduce the ranks of the federal government.
READ: Elon Musk’s xAI to launch chatbot Grok 3 (February 17, 2025)
One MSPB employee, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, reportedly told CNN that the agency’s workload went from “busy” to “overwhelming” in a matter of days, amid the federal firings.
“They are coming in faster than we can process them,” the employee told CNN, adding that laid-off workers are also calling and emailing with questions. “We’re going to be digging out from this for a long time.”