Hickenlooper, Colleagues Demand Answers on Trump Admin’s Mass Firings of Federal Workers, Impact on Colorado

Colorado is home to 57,000 federal employees who manage public lands, serve veterans, support wildfire mitigation, and more

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Representatives Brittany Pettersen, Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, and Jason Crow demanded answers from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) about the Trump administration’s recent firings, layoffs, and resignations of federal employees in Colorado.

“The consequences of mass firings of our federal employees will undermine the mission and services provided by each agency serving our state, harm the economy, and threaten our Colorado way of life,” wrote the Colorado lawmakers.

The letter comes after the Trump administration illegally fired thousands of federal workers. These cuts threaten essential programs that millions of Coloradans rely on and have caused widespread uncertainty for the federal employees affected.

Specifically, the lawmakers are requesting more information regarding:

• Federal Employee Firings in Colorado: The number of probationary and non-probationary federal employees fired since January 20, 2025, with breakdowns by agency, location, job level, veteran/disability status, and service length.

• Deferred Resignations: The number of federal employees in Colorado who accepted DOGE’s “deferred resignation” offer, with detailed lists and copies of signed contracts.

• Impact on Federal Lands: The effects of federal workforce downsizing on managing Colorado’s federal lands.

• Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Firings: How DOD civilian employee firings or resignations are affecting military operations at key Colorado bases, with detailed personnel data and signed contracts.

• Workforce Reductions & Public Services: How OPM is ensuring federal workforce cuts don’t disrupt essential programs like Social Security.

• Data Collection & Security: What worker/employer data DOGE is collecting and how it’s being secured, including any firings linked to Elon Musk or DOGE members.

Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below.

We write to request information regarding the recent firings, layoffs, and resignations of federal employees in Colorado. Our state is home to 57,000 federal employees who are critical to managing and protecting Colorado’s public lands, ensuring veterans receive their benefits, helping entrepreneurs start businesses, delivering our mail, forecasting weather, conducting research, and more.1 We are deeply concerned about the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s efforts to indiscriminately cut the workforce in our state. The consequences of mass firings of our federal employees will undermine the mission and services provided by each agency serving our state, harm the economy, and threaten our Colorado way of life.

In Colorado, we have a year-round wildfire season, and our Wildland Firefighters and other essential U.S. Forest Service employees are our frontline defense and stewards of our public lands. Layoffs of U.S. Forest Service employees threaten life-saving wildfire mitigation efforts, undercut our wildfire prevention and recovery efforts, and impede our robust outdoor recreation industry.

Colorado is also home to more than 928,000 people over the age of 65—a number that is expected to grow to 1.2 million by 2030. Reductions in the number of Social Security Administration employees in our state could result in delays in processing the Social Security payments that seniors rely on. Additionally, as tax season is underway, IRS layoffs could delay

hardworking Coloradans from getting their federal tax returns. These are just a few examples of how sweeping Reductions in Force (RIF) and other actions to arbitrarily cut the federal workforce will hurt the constituents we serve.

Therefore, we request the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) share information about how, and to what extent, the Trump Administration’s actions are impacting our state. Specifically, please respond to the following questions:

1. How many probationary federal employees in Colorado have been fired since January 20, 2025? Please share a complete list by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.

2. How many non-probationary federal employees in Colorado have been fired since January 20, 2025? Please share a complete list by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.

3. How many federal employees in Colorado have accepted the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) “deferred resignation” offer? Please include the following information:
   1. A complete list by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.
   2. A copy of the final contract signed by all employees who accepted the “deferred resignation” offer to better understand their benefits and rights.

4. How will federal workforce downsizing affect the management of federal lands in Colorado?

5. To what extent are the firings of civilian Department of Defense employees impacting operations or military readiness at Peterson Air Force Base, Buckley Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, United States Air Force Academy, United States Northern Command, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, United States Space Command and Fort Carson? In your response, please include a list of DOD employees who have been fired or accepted a deferred resignation offer and include the following information:
   1. A complete list by military base, congressional district, GS level, veterans status, disability status, and average length of service.
   2. A copy of the final contract signed by all employees who accepted the “deferred resignation” offer to better understand their benefits and rights.

6. How does OPM plan to work with agencies to ensure that the reductions in force do not result in delays or disruptions to the programs and benefits that constituents rely on? For example, is OPM working with the Social Security Administration to ensure that reductions in force do not result in delays or disruptions to individuals receiving their social security checks?

7. What types of worker and employer data are being harvested or reviewed by DOGE?

8. Additionally, what measures are OPM and DOGE taking to ensure that worker and employer data are secure? Please provide all documents and communications referring or related to each federal employee fired on orders, advice, or recommendation of Elon Musk, or any individual considered to be a member of DOGE.

###