President Trump meets with leaders of the pharmaceutical industry in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday. (AFP/Getty Images)

Responses to the question we raised in Tuesday’s Federal Insider — when, if ever, do federal employees have the right to disregard a presidential order or administration policy — make one thing clear:

Federal employees have a strong sense of mission.

Those responses and others from federal workforce organizations demonstrate what has long been evident: the fidelity of federal employees to serving the public through the work of their agencies.

Questions about the attitude of feds developed following the massive outcry against President Trump’s immigration executive order. It temporarily bans migrants from certain Muslim majority countries. The order is of questionable legality, as indicated by a series of federal court rulings blocking its implementation.

Though Trump’s order has upset many, there is no verifiable revolt by the workforce against him.

“I think federal workers are now extremely concerned about the consequences of President Trump’s policies, but I would not call it a revolt,” said Randy L. Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. “Some of the things that President Trump is doing are unprecedented and I would not be surprised to see federal workers be more frustrated than they have ever been.”

Similarly, National Treasury Employees Union President Tony Reardon said “many federal employees are anxious and concerned due to the hiring freeze and reports of deep downsizing to come at some agencies. … Having said that, I believe our members plan to continue to serve the American people and do their jobs to the best of their abilities.”

That goes for top level civil servants, too.

“There is no evidence we are seeing of a wide spread federal bureaucracy revolt,” said Bill Valdez, president of the Senior Executives Association. The Senior Executive Service members “I’ve talked to have told their direct reports to keep doing their day jobs until they hear otherwise.  Don’t get involved in the drama happening elsewhere.”

Many federal employees and retirees who answered our questions would not recommend disobeying an order, even one that might not survive judicial review.

Here are a few of their emailed comments:

Megan Durham, retired Fish and Wildlife Service deputy assistant director for external affairs: “They [federal employees] are mission-oriented and for many, the agency is their family and the mission is central to their personal values.  To them I say:  the best civil servants learn how to soldier on in a hostile environment. Sometimes you have to suck it up, choose your battles, and do the best you can within the system to educate your political bosses and continue to perform your agency’s mission.”

James Drummond, retired from the Environmental Protection Agency: “Federal employees are obligated to carry out administration policies unless there is a clear conflict with the Constitution, a statute or regulation. Mere disagreement with the policy itself would not provide adequate grounds to disregard the policy. Having said that, Federal employees also have a responsibility to advise the administration that a policy is unwise, difficult to implement, or unfair as well as to preserve their objections for the record.”