May 4, 2020
It is easy to take for granted or, worse, forget the millions of public servants working tirelessly to protect our nation. We must not do so. During any time, but especially at this difficult period, the importance of their work and the sacrifices they make are indisputable.
This Public Service Recognition Week, I hope that you will take some time to thank the public servants in your life. Whether they are responding directly to the pandemic, working to keep essential services going during the pandemic, or implementing policies to blunt the economic and social effects of the virus, our public servants deserve our gratitude.
These dedicated public servants also deserve our gratitude for the honor and integrity with which they carry out their work. Over two million executive branch public servants are supported by more than 5,000 ethics officials. Together, ethics officials work to ensure that our government’s work is performed solely in the public’s interest and is not tainted by private financial interests. I am especially grateful to these ethics officials who every day help a stressed and disrupted workforce carry out its essential work in this especially challenging environment.
Thank you to all the public servants. Thank you for your service. And, thank you for your commitment to ensuring our government carries out its work with ethics and integrity.