Case surge from fired federal workers jams federal board

This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here.

Washington — A bubble is quickly forming inside the obscure but powerful U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, which handles appeals from federal workers who have been terminated or allege they were victims of prohibited actions by their employers.

A CBS News review of agency records shows the board has experienced a surge in new cases amid the torrent of layoffs by the Trump administration.

In the past week, the board received at least 1,845 new cases from employees nationwide. That compares to approximately 100 cases each week in December and January. The surge in challenges from federal employees threatens to slow or choke the board’s ability to respond to complaints, according to multiple sources familiar with board operations.

MSPB is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has six regional offices nationwide. It reported having approximately 190 full-time employees in 2024.

The agency juggles a series of regular duties, including legal research, studies of the civil service, and — of particular note amid widespread federal layoffs — it hears cases brought by federal workers who argue they were subject to unfair firings or improper and politicized conduct inside their federal agencies.

“The MSPB simply won’t be able to review the appeals in any kind of timely fashion,” Pamela Keith, a Washington-based attorney who...

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