Why Is Sherrill 'DOGE-ing' New Jersey? Transition's Resignation Requests Alarm Career Staff

TRENTON, N.J. — Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s transition team sent written requests asking some long-serving state employees to submit letters of resignation, prompting confusion, anger and concern across the state workforce, according to multiple people familiar with the matter and a letter reviewed by POLITICO.

A spokesperson for Sherrill told POLITICO that the transition team did not intend to call for mass resignations and that the notices were meant to apply only to political appointees. The spokesperson said the requests were prepared using personnel lists provided by the outgoing Murphy administration and that the transition is working with state departments to resolve the issue.

Workers and Unions React

The outreach has created an early headache for the incoming governor and drawn comparisons to last year’s federal effort known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which sought resignations from long-serving federal employees.

"The toothpaste is out of the tube," said one state worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "You have that person who is crying in their office, it doesn't matter if you say ‘My bad.’ There's a trust issue there now. If it's a mistake, it's a consequential one."

"People keep calling it DOGE," the worker added. "Why is Sherrill DOGE-ing New Jersey?"

While incoming governors routinely request resignation letters from senior, cabinet-level officials, it is highly unusual to request them from career civil servants. An official in outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, speaking on background because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said some recipients included employees "who have been in their roles for years and decades."

Melvin Dwyer, vice president of IFPTE Local 195, which represents state employees, said career investigators at the Department of Banking and Insurance were among those asked to provide resignation letters. "For now we are reviewing our options as we see it's a violation of civil service [rules] … and the current collective bargaining agreement," Dwyer said. "There was no discussion with the unions. This is unusual."

Several unions urged members not to submit resignation letters while they sought clarification. In a letter obtained by POLITICO, IBEW Local 30 compared the request to the Trump administration's DOGE effort and warned of consequences if the matter was not addressed.

"I do not know if this is the treachery of the outgoing administration or the buffoonery of the incoming administration ... but rest assured, I will get to the bottom of how this happened, and there will be hell to pay!" the IBEW Local 30 letter said.

The Communication Workers of America, which represents many state employees, described meetings with the Sherrill transition as "collaborative" and said the transition assured unions it did not intend to compel mass resignations and respects civil service and contract protections.

"While this has been a confusing and alarming process for many of our members, we greatly appreciate the Transition team assuring us that it is not their intention to compel mass resignation offers and that they fully respect our members’ contractual and civil service protections," Tonya Hodges, New Jersey area director of CWA District 1, said in a statement.

According to the letter reviewed by POLITICO, employees were asked earlier in the week to submit resignation letters. The letter made clear any resignation would not take effect unless it was "affirmatively accepted," and employees would be notified in advance if their resignation was accepted. It also said employees could continue working past Jan. 20 if their resignation had not been accepted.

Sherrill is set to take office Tuesday, succeeding Gov. Phil Murphy, a fellow Democrat who was term-limited. A separate official in the Murphy administration, speaking anonymously, questioned why the transition proceeded this way and warned that such an approach could create friction once the new administration assumes full authority.