Federal workers protest Trump and Musk’s job cuts
Federal workers are increasingly organizing themselves to protest against the job cuts, which are the result of the policies of President Trump and Musk. Everything in the country might have gone smoothly as before, but for the war declared on the federal government employees.
This is ironic as the very ‘deep state’ characterization quoted by them on and off for long seems to be perpetuated by both now. And this was a point which was raised with concern, time and again by Trump during his first term as well.
It is also a fact that many federal employees have dismissed the characterization, having a great belief in the apolitical nature of the civil services during the Republican and Democratic administrations. This time the organizing is happening mostly online.
Many existing and newly formed online websites are being used by the workers to vent their protests and concerns. This includes Signal chats, Facebook and a popular News channel, where the employees are sharing advice and talking about their experiences, while opposing the recent unpopular moves by the Trump administration.
Posts speak about right from an abstinence towards talking to the media and continuing with protesting vigorously to Trump’s destructive attitude against the federal workers. As US DOGE service is increasingly coming under attack for its unlawful policies against its own citizens, the latter are vowing to get activated, get radicalized!
And this is understandable due to the administration’s hell-bent attitude of snatching the jobs and creating chaos all around. Launching anonymous websites where the workers are filing lawsuits to promote their narratives apart from sharing internal documents with the media, the workers have been forced to be on the war path.
Also, resource guides, recorded private meetings and tendering mass resignations have been added to the work force protest itinerary. Amy Paris, who worked at the Health Resources and Services Administration, says that she, like others, would have collaborated positively with the administration if the latter had come with ways to improve the worker efficiency. But, to the chagrin of many, it chose to snatch their very source of livelihoods.
Paris had been working on an online site to modernize the organ transplant methodology and as of now, she is thinking about a re-appeal for her job. Indeed, employees like a civil servant at the Department of Commerce say about the forcible job cutting fomenting the creation of a ‘deep state’.
Despite an exemplary role in their jobs, the Trump administration told them to leave on the performance-based issues. For people like Paris, this was a jolt to their career, who are yet to be offered full civil service protections.
Prior to this, the Trump administration targeted federal employees for their efforts towards inclusion, equity and diversity. A long battle including court battles and confusion ensued while about 2 million workers were asked to tend their ‘deferred’ resignations. The Office of Personnel Management along with Musk and his DOGE team, nevertheless proceeded forward with the program.
A number of ways have been initiated to belittle people’s efforts towards their professional excellence. Twice, Musk wrote on X about being 1000% more trustworthy than the unnamed bureaucrats and fraudsters, or that many people doing any worthwhile work for the government.
An OPM memo has sought massive workforce cut, apart from a FAQ asking about the reasons behind ‘deferred resignations’ while stating that a greater American prosperity was dependent upon the movement towards higher productivity jobs.
The relentless pursuit of Musk towards increasing misplaced zeal for productivity has now translated into emails directed towards workers asking them to abide by five bullet points. The points pertain to their work engagements during the earlier week and failing to answer could be taken as tendering resignation on the part of the employees. Federal judges have blocked moves pertaining to firing 18 internal agency watchdogs as inspectors and removal of Hampton Dellinger, leading an agency acting as whistleblower protection.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers across the country who overwhelmingly re-elected him. Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years.”
Apart from countering Trump and Musk’s efforts towards massive workforce cuts, Federal workers are now gearing up for creating a realistic picture about the civil servants. The perception about the civil servants wasting public money while creating nothing substantial, has led them to protest outside some of the agencies under attack from DOGE.
Many are of the opinion that combating the administration directly can’t be an option, while others are going for the political face-off. The latter is being suggested as a desperate measure intended to get out of the chaos ensued by the cutoffs. What concerns them is blatantly unconstitutional moves on the part of the administration to strengthen the American economic scenario.
One assistant U.S. attorney said, “(and so) the question that we have in our minds is, how do we try to advance the administration’s objectives without running afoul of the law, quite frankly.” Irony, too, seems to play a part in a stifled response from the civil servants and others. A most prominent reason associated with responding properly is being afraid of risking their already existing jobs.
But for many, who have nothing to lose as they have already been fired, going all over about the issue is their only priority as of now. Democratic lawmakers are highlighting information about the difficulties faced by the federal workers and how they contribute positively to society.
President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, Max Stier, states that a more effective way is to share stories about how the ‘masses are getting hurt’ each time an action involving staff cuts is initiated. Stier says that dismissing public servants, especially the head of the Office of Special Counsel and inspectors general, is seen as a warning for the employees, if they dare to speak about the issue even internally. What is ironic again, is the office oath necessitating speaking up, putting them in the harm’s way.
Despite rumblings within the inner Trump circle, Republicans by and large, support the DOGE mission to cut federal spending and staffing. However, on the issue of Musk being projected as the face of the effort, it has given rise to discomfort amongst the Trump allies. Also, lack of compassion in the broader restructuring is the emerging issue of concern.
An absence of any protest or resistance on the part of department heads at a cabinet meeting recently, is what has brought ominous forebodings. A Trump ally said, “I don’t think it sparks a resistance. I think those days are long over. I just think there’s risk and potential blowback on the political side if something gets messed up. I also think there’s risk in department heads appointed by the president clashing with Musk. You are already kind of seeing it in some instances.”
A senior Senate GOP was eloquent so far as to say that Trump wasn’t the problem, rather Musk was the issue. The work methodology of Musk is being termed as chaotic and bringing that chaos in the process of staff cutting is what is precipitating everything negative.
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, told one of the news channels, “if I could say one thing to Elon Musk it’s, ‘Please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives.’” And Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on Monday called for “just a little bit of humanity and dignity to the process.” The concern shared by Murkowski has arisen due to certain codified processes being terminated by Musk during staff cuts. Musk, however, dismisses the resistance on the federal workers’ part as ridiculous, about the employees’ response to the email from him asking them to put forth their professional achievements
