Federal Managers Association
FMA Working for You
- FMA Update on President's Executive Orders and Other Directives Affecting Feds - February 3, 2025
On February 3, the Federal Managers Association sent this letter to President Trump reiterating areas in which we hope to work together with his administration, and pointing out some of our concerns with actions his administration has recently taken in regard to federal employees. FMA National President shared the following message with all FMA members:
First things first – as you know, FMA is a strictly non-partisan professional membership association that seeks to empower and protect our federal manager members. FMA members come from all walks of life and hold a broad spectrum of political views. We are members of FMA because we want to be the best civil servants we can be, and to ensure we are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. When we communicate with Congress and the administration, it is FMA’s intention to be conversational and not confrontational. However, you need to know that FMA will always respectfully push back on policies that would negatively impact federal managers, and thus, the federal government. With each new day, we have new concerns about the executive orders (EOs) the president is issuing that are directly targeting federal employees, including FMA members.
The letter we sent to the president is just the start of our communications, and does not intend to address every concern we have. There would be no way for FMA to answer every concern with the administration and Congress in real time, nor should we, but once we have had a chance to learn more fully about each executive action or directive the administration has taken, we will work with our coalition partners, members of Congress, and the administration to voice our members’ concerns, remind them of the important work America’s civil servants perform, and how each of you support our country and your local community. For example, we understand and share concerns about reports regarding improper or illegal access the Department of Government Efficiency has received to the federal payment system at the Treasury Department, and potential abuses that could impact federal managers and American citizens.
We are also staunchly opposed to the proposed cuts to earned retirement benefits on the table for budget reconciliation legislation under consideration in Congress. Specifically, we will continue to strenuously advocate against increases to pension contributions for Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) employees with no added benefit, elimination of the FERS annuity supplement, and basing retirement benefits on the High-5 instead of the current High-3.
If you are affected by a new policy, or are approached about your position being reclassified, or furloughed, please let us hear from you. As for the “deferred resignation” offer that was sent to most of you, we cannot tell you what to do in that regard, but we can tell you that the current continuing resolution (CR) only runs through March 15, 2025, and that your salary and benefits are paid for through your agency’s budget, not the Office of Personnel Management.
We will do our best to keep you informed of the work that FMA is doing behind the scenes every day. Rest assured that we are closely monitoring the news, the administration, and Congress, and working with our community partners and friends on Capitol Hill, will do all we can to stop, or mitigate bad policies, while working with the administration and Congress to implement positive changes that will empower federal managers and make government work better. Please keep an eye out for emails from FMA, read the monthly Washington Report and Grassroots Update, and visit FMA’s website to stay informed.
Sincerely yours,
Craig Carter
FMA National President
The Federal Managers Association, established in 1913, is the oldest and largest association representing the interests of the 200,000 executives, managers, and supervisors serving in today's federal government.