Group that awards top government workers is having a hard time finding winners under Trump
Partnership for Public Service said some government agencies declined to participate in the annual award program entirely
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Gharun Lacy, a State Department employee, was awarded a Sammie for cybersecurity work that stopped a Chinese hacking incident.
"Other workers being awarded a Sammie are Gharun Lacy, a State Department employee whose cybersecurity work stopped a Chinese hacking incident;"
The Partnership for Public Service is awarding only four Sammies in 2026, down from 23 in 2025.
"Last year, the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan group dedicated to promoting a more effective federal workforce, awarded 23 government workers a Sammie – sometimes referred to as the 'Oscars of public service.' The year before that it was 25. This year, just four will be given out."
Jill Frisch, a former top IRS litigator, was awarded a Sammie for stopping large corporations from using complex schemes to reduce their tax liability, recovering billions for the government.
"Jill Frisch, a former top litigator in the IRS, retired from her job this year after nearly four decades. She is being recognized for her work to stop large corporations from using complex schemes to reduce their tax liability, resulting in billions of dollars recovered for the government."
James Szykman, an EPA employee, was awarded a Sammie for work on groundbreaking methods for tracking air pollution.
"James Szykman, an Environmental Protection Agency employee whose work led to groundbreaking methods for tracking air pollution;"
The Partnership for Public Service received 140 nominations from 39 agencies, down from 350 nominations from 65 agencies last year.
"The Partnership for Public Service received just 140 nominations from 39 agencies – a smaller pool compared to the more than 350 nominations from 65 agencies last year."
The federal workforce lost over 300,000 employees due to Trump administration cuts.
"Because of the disruption and upheaval over the past year – we lost over 300,000 federal employees – and the adversarial nature of the relationship between the White House and the career workforce, we received less nominations than we typically do,"
Nearly 8 percent of the federal workforce left involuntarily because their agency closed, they were part of a reduction-in-force, or they were terminated.
"Nearly 8 percent of the federal workforce involuntarily left because their agency closed – such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, they were part of a reduction-in-force or terminated outright, such as probationary employees."
President Donald Trump sought to dramatically decrease the number of federal employees over the last year.
"But over the last year, much of that recognition has been disrupted as President Donald Trump sought to dramatically decrease the number of federal employees."