An Agency Head Gave Her Staff A Day Off — And They Got Antsy

The head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission this week told agency employees they didn’t have to work April 18, inadvertently sparking a sense of unease that officials have since scrambled to soothe.

On April 8, acting EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas sent an email saying that non-emergency employees were being excused from work that day, which falls on Good Friday, according to two current staffers and two former EEOC officials familiar with the matter.

But the message did not give a reason why they were excused, leading some employees to fret that it was a prelude to reduction-in-force notices or other major changes, the people said. Other government agencies like the Department of Education and the U.S. Agency for International Development experienced unexpected closures shortly before the Trump administration upended their operations.

“People are just on edge right now,” said one current EEOC employee, granted anonymity to discuss sentiment within the agency.

Additionally, some staff raised concerns after the memo went out about court hearings and and other scheduled deadlines that fell on that Friday and could not be easily moved, according to two of the people familiar.

Lucas confirmed in an email to POLITICO that there was no ulterior motive behind closing the EEOC’s offices for the day.

“April 18 is Good Friday,” she wrote. “There’s no other story."

The fact that employees did not know what to make of Lucas' gesture underscores the tension across the federal government amid the Trump administration's far-ranging attempt to reorient agency priorities, reduce spending and cut workers — while exerting more control over those who remain.

The EEOC sent out additional guidance to agency staffers roughly an hour after POLITICO requested comment Friday morning about the matter, one of the people said. Officials clarified the reason for the day off and gave staff additional flexibility to take different day off within the same pay period if they need to work on April 18.

Good Friday, which precedes the Christian holy day of Easter, is not a federal holiday. But Lucas has previously given her staff that day off and this year extended it agencywide, an EEOC spokesperson said.

“I think it was a misguided attempt by the chair to give folks time off for the religious holiday — which she’s said in the past was important to her — but she knew it would be problematic to give a Christian holiday off,” said one of the former EEOC officials.

During her time at the EEOC, Lucas has emphasized going after faith-based discrimination, fostered ties with conservative religious organizations and spoken openly about the agency’s role in protecting religious freedom in the workplace. Since being designated the acting chair earlier this year she has announced plans to step up investigations into allegations of antisemitism on college campuses.

The White House has also tasked the EEOC with probing large law firms' hiring practices for possible discrimination.

President Donald Trump in March renominated Lucas to serve another term on the commission.