AKWESASNE — (Enníska/February 14, 2025) The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe has been informed of the White House’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directive to federal agencies to begin firing federal employees in their probationary period by 5:00pm today. This mass termination is projected to affect 200,000 employees. It does not exempt probationary federal employees serving in Tribal-serving agencies, specifically the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice.
This action by the Trump Administration will have a detrimental effect on programs critical to Tribal services, including health care, public safety, education, and emergency management. Furthermore, it calls into question the federal government’s commitment to uphold trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.
Tribal Council shared, “We were very disappointed by reports of mass terminations carried out by the Office of Personnel Management on behalf of the Trump administration, particularly the firing of probationary federal employees who deliver vital services to Indian Country. These employees are crucial to the well-being of our Native communities and their abrupt dismissal threatens essential services provided under the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian Tribes. We strongly urge Congress and the Trump Administration to exempt probationary employees serving in these agencies from this mass termination.” Tribal Council has reached out to Congressional representatives in Washington DC to reinforce concerns about this action by the Administration.
A joint Tribal organization letter was signed by the United Southern Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund, and 16 partner organizations. The letter was transmitted to the Trump Administration urging the immediate exemption of all federal employees serving Tribal Nations and Indian Country from any reductions in force. To stay up-to-date on all SRMT news, please visit our website: www.srmt-nsn.gov. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe.
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe.