Civil Servants Face Hostile Environment as Awards Ceremony Sees Record-Low Participation

The Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan nonprofit, recently hosted its annual Sammies awards ceremony—an event honoring civil servants for excellence in public service. Traditionally a bipartisan affair, this year’s gala, held on May 6, featured video appearances from former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden.

The Sammies, named after philanthropist Samuel J. Heyman (1939–2009), who donated $45 million to establish the Partnership in 2001, have long been a symbol of recognition for dedicated federal employees. However, the current administration’s stance toward civil servants has shifted dramatically.

Last year, Dave Lebryk, then fiscal assistant treasury secretary, received the highest honor, “Federal Employee of the Year,” for blocking Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the government’s payment system—a decision that ultimately cost him his job. The administration’s hostility toward competent civil servants is further evidenced by the removal of 317,000 federal employees last year alone, with another 50,000 slated for reclassification as “at-will” workers, stripping them of civil service protections.

Russell Vought, White House budget director and architect of Project 2025, has publicly stated the administration’s intent to demoralize federal workers. In a 2024 speech, Vought declared,

“We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains.”

The chilling effect of this rhetoric is evident in this year’s Sammies ceremony. According to Meryl Kornfield of The Washington Post, attendance and participation plummeted. In 2024, 70 federal agencies nominated around 500 employees for awards. In 2025, only 39 agencies submitted 140 nominations—a 72% decline. Several Cabinet members refused to participate entirely, while others did so quietly. Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, told The New York Times’ Elizabeth Williamson,

“There was nervousness about nominating anyone… nervousness about accepting, a culture of fear and subbasement morale.”

Last year, 19 Sammies were awarded; this year, only four. To protect recipients, their names are withheld. The decline in nominations may also stem from the loss of 317,000 civil servants over the past year. Contrary to conservative claims, the federal workforce has shrunk significantly over the past five decades, now totaling 2.1 million employees—down from its Cold War peak, largely due to post-Cold War Defense Department reductions.