Story perspectives

Only Four Sammie Awards Given After 300,000 Federal Resignations

5/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Partnership for Public Service presented only four Sammie awards in 2026 after President Donald Trump’s cuts caused a federal staff exodus.
Over 300,000 federal workers quit in the past year, shrinking the nominee pool.
The U.S. Agency for International Development and other agencies declined to submit nominations.
Awardees include former IRS litigator Jill Frisch, State Department analyst Gharun Lacy, EPA researcher James Szykman, and an Agriculture Department dairy-breeding team.

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Story summary

The Partnership for Public Service presented only four Sammie awards in 2026 after President Donald Trump’s cuts caused a federal staff exodus.
Over 300,000 federal workers quit in the past year, shrinking the nominee pool.
The U.S. Agency for International Development and other agencies declined to submit nominations.
Awardees include former IRS litigator Jill Frisch, State Department analyst Gharun Lacy, EPA researcher James Szykman, and an Agriculture Department dairy-breeding team.