Federal workers against Biden administration's Gaza policy call for job walkoff Tuesday
Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to answer if participating in the walkout is a fireable offense during an interview
An anonymous group named "Feds United for Peace" called for federal employees to stay home from work on Tuesday in a "Day of Mourning for Gaza," according to a post from the organization's Instagram.
"Together we mark 100 days of war on Gaza, mourn the loss of innocent life and support a ceasefire and humanitarian aid," according to Fed's United for Peace's Instagram.
The organization asked participating protestors to complete an anonymous pledge of participation which indicated only the participant's place of employment.
In a post on Tuesday morning, the organization said it was a snow day in Washington, DC but still asked federal workers taking leave to express solidarity and sign the pledge online.
Congress members respond to planned walkout
In a post over the weekend on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, House Speaker Mike Johnson said participants in the walkout "deserve to be fired."
"Any government worker who walks off the job to protest US support for our ally Israel is ignoring their responsibility and abusing the trust of taxpayers," Johnson said. "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."
On Tuesday, the State Department released the transcript of an interview CNBC conducted with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which he declined to answer if participating in the walkout is a fireable offense.
"They need – they ultimately have to be on the job and do their jobs, but the main thing is this: people feel the need to speak up and speak out. That’s a cherished part of our democracy. It’s a cherished part of – in my view, of patriotism," Blinken said on CNBC.
"But people also need to be on the job, do the job. Look, we see this across many administrations. If the policies an administration is pursuing that individuals object to in a way that they can’t continue to work, well, that’s their decision. That’s their choice," Blinken said. "They have to make that decision."
It's unclear at this point how many employees participated in the walkoff.
The Post reached out to Rep. James Comer's office for comment.
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