Speaker Mike Johnson (R) believes that any government employee who walks off the job to protest pro-Israel policies "deserve to be fired."

A group of federal employees are planning to walk out of work on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in protest of the Biden administration's pro-Israel policies, Al-Monitor reported. The employees are calling themselves "Feds United for Peace," and they work in nearly two dozen different government agencies, from the executive office of the president to the Pentagon and even the National Park Service.

One of the organizers of the protest said participating employees believe they have "a moral obligation and a patriotic duty" to act because the Biden administration is not capitulating to anti-Israel demands.

These employees, to be sure, can use their First Amendment rights to protest U.S. policy. But according to Johnson, that decision, which abuses the taxpayers who fund the government payroll, shouldn't come without consequences.

"Any government worker who walks off the job to protest U.S. support for our ally Israel is ignoring their responsibility and abusing the trust of taxpayers. They deserve to be fired," Johnson said on Sunday.

"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," he explained.

— (@)

Importantly, Congress has outlawed federal government employees from protesting and striking. In fact, it is a felony.

"An individual may not accept or hold a position in the Government of the United States ... if he ... participates in a strike, or asserts the right to strike, against the Government of the United States," declares 5 U.S. Code § 7311.

Federal government employees found guilty of breaking the law "shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year and a day, or both," according to 18 U.S. Code § 1918.

It is no surprise, then, that with the news of their plans to engage in an intentional stoppage of work that organizers with "Feds United for Peace" are now claiming their protest isn't actually a protest.

"This is not a strike. This is a day of mourning. The purpose is to provide space for ourselves to mourn and heal. We serve the American people every day and do so with conviction and pride," the group told Al-Monitor.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!