U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is calling for those federal employees who are planning to walk off the job in protest of the Biden administration's pro-Israel policies to be fired.
Johnson said as much in an X message that he posted on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
The message came in response to a report that federal employees are planning a walkout protest on Tuesday. There will be more on this in a moment.
But, first, we'll take a look at Johnson's message.
This was the overall point of Johnson's message.
"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," Johnson wrote.
The House speaker went on to say that he will take steps to ensure that such employees are fired.
"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," Johnson wrote.
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.
Oversight Chairman Comer and I will be working together to ensure that each federal agency… https://t.co/jcWa4bI3Db
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 14, 2024
Johnson here was directly responding to reporting from AI-Mnoitor reporter Joyce Karam. According to Fox News, AI-Monitor is a "Middle East-focused outlet."
In her report, Karam wrote, "U.S. federal employees across nearly two dozen agencies plan to walk off the job Tuesday to protest the Biden administration’s handling of the Gaza war, according to organizers of the dissent effort who spoke to Al-Monitor."
She continues, "The group — calling itself Feds United for Peace — consists of dozens of government employees who will be observing a 'Day of Mourning' to mark 100 days of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The organizers, who are choosing to remain anonymous, say they expect 'easily hundreds' of others to join in their walkout after securing commitments from individuals at 22 federal agencies."
Karam goes on to report that, so far, she has confirmed that employees from the Executive Office of the President, the National Security Agency, the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Naval Research Laboratory will participate in the protest.
She adds that employees from the Food and Drug Administration, the National Park Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency are also expected to join the protest.
