Press ReleaseNeutral2026-10-01

Beyer, Mfume, Landsman, Van Hollen Lead 75 Colleagues in Pressing Trump Administration to Withdraw Proposal that Would Gut Civil Rights Protections for Federal Employees

Foreign PolicyCivil Rights

Context

This press release from Representative Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA) was published on 2026-10-01 and titled "Beyer, Mfume, Landsman, Van Hollen Lead 75 Colleagues in Pressing Trump Administration to Withdraw Proposal that Would G".

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Beyer, Mfume, Landsman, Van Hollen Lead 75 Colleagues in Pressing Trump Administration to Withdraw Proposal that Would Gut Civil Rights Protections for Federal Employees

Today, Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) along with 75 of their colleagues, called on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Andrea Lucas to rescind their proposed rule to eliminate protections and strip federal employees of critical civil rights in discrimination complaints. While the lawmakers expressed support for implementing improvements to the existing federal-sector Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process, they stressed that this proposed rule would make it more difficult for federal workers to challenge workplace discrimination and would weaken essential safeguards for their claims. The lawmakers were joined in sending this letter by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and by Representatives Gabe Amo (D-R.I.-01), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.-03), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.-01), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.-02), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.-02), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio-11), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.-13), Troy Carter (D-La.-02), Ed Case (D-Hawaii-01), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas-30), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.-04), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-03), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.-03), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas-29), Al Green (D-Texas-09), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.-04), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-04), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-01), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio-09), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), John Larson (D-Conn.-01), Summer Lee (D-Pa.-12), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), John Mannion (D-N.Y.-22), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.-06), April McClain Delaney (D-Md.-06), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.-04), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Christian Menefee (D-Texas-18), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.-12), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.-02), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-At Large), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.-07), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine-01), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.-02), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.-03), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Adam Smith (D-Wash.-09), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.-04), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.-10), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), James Walkinshaw (D-Va.-11), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43). The lawmakers begin , “We strongly oppose the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed rule, which would revise the federal-sector equal employment opportunity complaint process. As Members representing hundreds of thousands of federal employees who serve our country every day, we are deeply concerned that this proposal would make it more difficult for those workers to challenge workplace discrimination and would weaken safeguards intended to ensure impartial review of their claims. As such, we urge the Commission to withdraw this proposal and pursue reforms that make the federal-sector EEO process both faster and fairer.” “We agree that the existing federal-sector Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process needs improvement. The current process is slow and understaffed, agencies often miss deadlines, and the structure requires an employing agency to investigate allegations against itself. Reforming the process should correct these shortcomings. However, unlike the proposed rule, the reforms should not eliminate protections and shift more power to the agency accused of discrimination,” they continue . “We urge the Commission to withdraw the NPRM and engage Congress in developing a revised proposal. While speed and efficiency matter, this proposed rule could have the effect of making EEO claims slower on top of stripping federal employees of key rights. The federal government should be a model employer free of discrimination, and its civil-rights process should reflect that obligation,” the lawmakers conclude . The full text of the letter is available here and below. Dear Chair Lucas: We strongly oppose the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed rule, which would revise the federal-sector equal employment opportunity complaint process. As Members representing hundreds of thousands of federal employees who serve our country every day, we are deeply concerned that this proposal would make it more difficult for those workers to challenge workplace discrimination and woul

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Beyer, Mfume, Landsman, Van Hollen Lead 75 Colleagues in Pressing Trump Administration to Withdraw Proposal that Would Gut Civil Rights Protections for Federal Employees Today, Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) along with 75 of their colleagues, called on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Andrea Lucas to rescind their proposed rule to eliminate protections and strip federal employees of critical civil rights in discrimination complaints. While the lawmakers expressed support for implementing improvements to the existing federal-sector Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process, they stressed that this proposed rule would make it more difficult for federal workers to challenge workplace discrimination and would weaken essential safeguards for their claims. The lawmakers were joined in sending this letter by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and by Representatives Gabe Amo (D-R.I.-01), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.-03), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.-01), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.-02), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.-02), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio-11), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.-13), Troy Carter (D-La.-02), Ed Case (D-Hawaii-01), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas-30), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.-04), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-03), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.-03), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas-29), Al Green (D-Texas-09), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.-04), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-04), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-01), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio-09), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), John Larson (D-Conn.-01), Summer Lee (D-Pa.-12), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), John Mannion (D-N.Y.-22), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.-06), April McClain Delaney (D-Md.-06), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.-04), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Christian Menefee (D-Texas-18), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.-12), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.-02), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-At Large), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.-07), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine-01), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.-02), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.-03), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Adam Smith (D-Wash.-09), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.-04), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.-10), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), James Walkinshaw (D-Va.-11), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43). The lawmakers begin , “We strongly oppose the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed rule, which would revise the federal-sector equal employment opportunity complaint process. As Members representing hundreds of thousands of federal employees who serve our country every day, we are deeply concerned that this proposal would make it more difficult for those workers to challenge workplace discrimination and would weaken safeguards intended to ensure impartial review of their claims. As such, we urge the Commission to withdraw this proposal and pursue reforms that make the federal-sector EEO process both faster and fairer.” “We agree that the existing federal-sector Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process needs improvement. The current process is slow and understaffed, agencies often miss deadlines, and the structure requires an employing agency to investigate allegations against itself. Reforming the process should correct these shortcomings. However, unlike the proposed rule, the reforms should not eliminate protections and shift more power to the agency accused of discrimination,” they continue . “We urge the Commission to withdraw the NPRM and engage Congress in developing a revised proposal. While speed and efficiency matter, this proposed rule could have the effect of making EEO claims slower on top of stripping federal employees of key rights. The federal government should be a model employer free of discrimination, and its civil-rights process should reflect that obligation,” the lawmakers conclude . The full text of the letter is available here and below. Dear Chair Lucas: We strongly oppose the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed rule, which would revise the federal-sector equal employment opportunity complaint process. As Members representing hundreds of thousands of federal employees who serve our country every day, we are deeply concerned that this proposal would make it more difficult for those workers to challenge workplace discrimination and woul