Federal employees, many of whose work is under threat from President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting efforts, are being honored with a top civil service award.
The Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan good government research group, announced Monday that 23 honorees for their prominent “Sammies” awards, otherwise known as the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals. Staffers across the government are selected each year for the federal workforce’s Oscars to recognize their exemplary public service.
The awards come during a tense time for federal workers. Thousands are leaving their agencies under layoffs and budget cuts after the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, once headed by tech mogul Elon Musk, targeted government programs and spending.
Max Stier, the partnership’s president and CEO, said the honorees and their colleagues are “the backbone of our democracy.”
