my interview with Weekend Edition about the attack on federal workers

by Alison Green on February 10, 2025

I was interviewed by NPR’s Weekend Edition yesterday about the Trump administration’s attack on federal workers. You can listen here or below:

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  1. Chairman of the Bored*

    Aside from people who were going to retire or quit their jobs near-term for other reasons anyway, who is biting on the very-obviously-a-scam “deferred resignation” offer?

    It’s so clearly a hustle that it’s hard to imagine even one person fell for it, but I’m seeing reports that tens of thousands of people signed up. Are these all just folks who were already on their way out the door, or do some people think this is a real offer?

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    1. Fed Here*

      People who are scared and desperate. They’re being bullied into thinking that if they don’t take this offer, they will still be let go – but with nothing. Feds need people’s grace now more than ever. They’re terrified about losing their livelihood and are grasping at whatever makes them feel better.

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      1. Mallory Janis Ian*

        I really do feel for them — my coworker’s husband is a federal worker who recently relocated here to Arkansas from Lincoln, NE and he’s now being told he has to go into the office in person. So he’s being made to “return” to a place he’s never physically worked at before, but I think the local offices are working to accommodate the situation.

        Also, he is from a country that he fled in order to escape sh*t like this, and he’s not white, and he’s afraid of being targeted in multiple different ways.

        My brother-in-law from India also says that he has never been afraid in the U.S. before, but he’s afraid now. Even after 9-11, when people were approaching him in the grocery store and telling him to “go back home!” he was kind of on edge, but not AFRAID afraid like he is now.

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        1. X*

          I had to talk a friend in a federal job down recently, because she’s very liberal and was worried she’d lose her job over her voting record. I happen to know intimately how voter secrecy works in our state, so I was able to explain to her how it’s not possible for the current administration to target her because of how she’s voted. They could target her because of what party she’s registered under, and any political opinions she expresses at work or in private, but her actual choices at the voting booth itself cannot be traced back to her or proven. I never thought I’d see the day when someone would be concerned about that in the US.

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          1. not nice, don't care*

            Wow. I personally know hundreds of people who are concerned about voting records being hacked. How could you not be with elon’s doge pack on the loose.

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            1. Your Mom Though*

              Those people can take a deep breath – the information the are afraid that these bozos can access does not exist (records of who a voter voted for) or is already public (party registration).

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            2. Selina Luna*

              I don’t know about every state, but in NM, the physical ballot that is placed into the machine doesn’t have any name or identifying information on it at all, nor does the one in CO. In CO, most people vote via mail, and the envelope has your name and signature, and those are verified by voting workers, but the ballot is removed from the envelope and fed into the machine, and then the envelope is destroyed after that point. In NM, most people vote in person, and they check your ID and then you get a blank ballot with no identifying information on it. They check your name off a register so you can’t vote more than once.
              Musk and DOGE can verify WHETHER we’ve voted, but there literally is no record of who we voted for. A live person can even inspect the physical ballot and there will be no information about whose it is.

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              1. Nightengale*

                Same in PA.

                I generally vote in person
                I am a registered democrat and that is public record
                I signed into my polling place and voted on election day and that is also information that can be obtained

                After I signed in, they handed me a ballot along with several other people who arrived around the same time.
                I filled it out and then fed it into a machine. So did those other people and everyone else who voted in my precinct that day.
                There is no way to connect the specific ballot to my name
                Actually I could have then walked out leaving the blank ballot on the table or fed a blank ballot into the thing and no one would have any way of knowing.

                I’m pretty worried about a lot of things – I have started checking weekly to make sure the text of the US Constitution is still available online on .gov websites – but hacking actual ballot results is one thing that isn’t currently possible.

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              2. Goody*

                No names or identifying numbers on the actual scanned ballot in Illinois either. On the return envelope if you mail in, yes, because you sign it as an affidavit that you really did complete your own ballot and you are registered to vote, just as when you check in for in-person voting. But absolutely nothing in person to tie your ballot to your registration.
                Source: I’m an Illinois election judge and have served in every election for the last 5 years

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            3. Ally McBeal*

              Because that’s not how voting works in this country, at all. Even in the scare tactics the right unleashed right before the election, all they could say is “we’ll know if you didn’t vote.” The government can TRY to infer how you voted from (1) your party registration and (2) whether you voted or not, but that would very quickly get thrown out in court because it’s not possible to prove how someone voted. This is part of why taking selfies with a filled-out ballot is illegal in many areas.

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              1. Sparky*

                While you’re right about how things work, I think once the government starts retaliating against people based on these things, we’ll be past the point where anyone cares what the courts have to say about it. The current admin has already demonstrated a willingness to ignore the courts.

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          2. Elle*

            I mean. Voting records, yes, but, it’s fairly easy to guess who many of us voted for, based on things as simple as our identities (but also stuff like who you’re following on social media). If being fired over our politics is on the table (it is), our voting records being technically private is not all THAT helpful.

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      2. Bruce*

        The way some agencies are being shut down with no severance, no support and even no travel arrangements for people over seas would be terrifying. I have a couple of relatives who have gotten these emails, their agencies have not yet been directly targeted and they are holding tight but it is very stressful.

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    2. Mallory Janis Ian*

      I read that the offer of several weeks’ payment for deferred resignations isn’t a feasible offer because federal workers can only be paid for up to two weeks of the type of pay they’re talking about using?

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      1. 3-Foot Tall Inflatable Rainbow Unicorn*

        It’s not a feasible offer because the money to pay them hasn’t been appropriated in the budget. The budget which grinds to a halt on March 15 when the Continuing Resolution runs out.

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        1. ferrina*

          This.

          There is no actual budget allocated to this supposed offer. And the President doesn’t have authority over the U.S. budget- Congress is what determines budget allocations.

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          1. LaminarFlow*

            This part is scary to me. The republican-majority congress hasn’t tried to stop any of the nonsense that Trump/Musk have enacted, so how/why should anyone trust them to do what is right/fair/just at this point?

            It is such a terrifying time in the U.S.

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      2. What_the_What*

        It’s also illegal because they can’t spend money that hasn’t been approved in the congressional budget. So, they’re offering thousands of people unapproved funding. Anyone who seriously thinks they’re going to get “carried” for the next 7 months with free money, is seriously delusional.

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      3. Debby*

        Mallory Janis Ian: I think what may be different with this kind of severance payout is that it won’t be paid in one large lump. It will probably be paid out on a weekly/bi-weekly/monthly basis, depending on how the individual was paid while they were working. For example, if they were paid weekly, then that is how they likely will be paid until the time period expires (September 2025).
        That is how my severance was paid to me when I was let go from a company.

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        1. Forrest Rhodes*

          That’s good to know, Debby, but I think the difference is it sounds like you were let go from a basically honorable company that followed the rules.
          Considering the two proven grifters/welshers that are making the current offer to Fed employees, I don’t think the terms “honorable” and “following the rules” will apply to any part of it.
          Watching it all happen is just so dang frustrating to us non-Fed onlookers, has to be terrifying for those immediately involved, and is deeply infuriating to all of us.

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          1. pope suburban*

            A friend of mine worked at Twitter and his experience with the layoffs is exactly as horrific as the stories. He’s still dealing with fallout from it, the type of fallout where lawyers are involved because he was clearly screwed over and contracts were clearly not upheld. That’s about what I expect from these Fed “buyouts,” since the same amoral clown is running this show.

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            1. Reluctant Mezzo*

              And don’t forget, Trump et al are now saying they don’t have to obey any court order (nor listen to any lawsuits, I expect).

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            2. Freya*

              Mid last year, Twitter started chasing Australians laid off in 2022 for what they claim is overpayments of what they were owed under the company’s employee share scheme due to a mistake in currency conversion. They’re also apparently chasing the laptops they didn’t get back at the time (which would be fully depreciated and worthless already as the effective life of a laptop is 2 years according to the Australian Tax Office)

              There’s going to be some more lawyer work here.

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        2. ferrina*

          Severance pay is almost always coming from staffing costs that are built into an existing budget. A company has an allocated staffing budget, and severance is pulled from that existing staffing budget. If funds need to be reallocated, a business adjusts their budget to pull the funds.

          There are 2 extremely important differences here:
          1. There is not budget allocation for this. There is literally no funding behind this offer. This is like your line manager (who is only allowed to approve reimbursements of $1k or less) trying to offer you a $10 severance- they simply don’t have the authority or the budget backing that offer.
          2. The federal government cannot reallocate money as quickly as an independent business. The federal government is accountable to more than just stakeholders- they are accountable to the entire American people. So they can’t just shuffle around some money- they need to follow the applicable laws and processes. This takes time, which is why a President can’t just offer whatever money he wants when he wants. Congress has budgetary oversight, not the President. Congress would need to earmark that money in the approved budget.

          Add that to how Elon treated a similar offer at Twitter (many of those folks never received what was promised of them), and people that take this offer should assume that they will not see the money in a timely manner, if they ever see it.

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        3. Anonymous Fed*

          I attended a call with a former high level person of OPM (I forget the exact role) and he said it’s illegal because the type of leave they’re using is limited (I think it was limited to 2 weeks) .

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          1. Z Fed Employee*

            That’s what most likely to blow this up.

            Wait until WFH folks turn in their government laptops and access card. Then revoke admin leave, but without acesss card and govt laptop they can’t work, and have mentally moved on.

            Or for in person employees, they no longer have access to building, computer systems, and had mentally moved on.

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      4. Z Fed Employee*

        It is not severance. It is their pay check which has been planned to be paid all along.

        Yes, the budget is under a CR, but a new budget or another CR will still fund federal employee paychecks. These folks just so happen to be on admin leave (rather than annual leave or sick leave), but they are paid during leave.

        The weird thing is allowing people to take months of admin leave … that’s a special form of leave you do not accrue but can use in approved situations like voting on Election Day or natural disaster/ evacuation when you can’t work. It’s never been used like this before as far as I know.

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    3. CityMouse*

      something like 60k retire every year and another 50 – 60k quit or are let go. So the tens of thousands isn’t that high.

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    4. CommanderBanana*

      My dad, for one, but he’s a Trumper. He’s also way beyond (IMHO) the point at which he should have retired.

      He asked me what I thought about him considering the offer and in between gales of laughter I told him to enjoy being cheated.

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    5. Ann O'Nemity*

      The people I know who chose the resignation fork did so not because of the severance offer, but because they can no longer tolerate the deteriorating working conditions. Increased workloads, toxic environments, political pressures, and unrealistic expectations have pushed them to a breaking point, making staying untenable. While financial stability is important, mental health and personal well-being are just as critical.

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      1. Ann O'Nemity*

        I also know some remote employees who live too far from the office to return to in-person work. Some relocated during the pandemic, while others were hired as fully remote workers. They are unwilling to move, especially given the current lack of job security.

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      2. Mallory Janis Ian*

        Plus I didn’t even think about what Alison said about the fear of being asked to do things that are ethically and morally untenable.

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    6. Anonymous Fed*

      I think maybe people who work in agencies that are in the cross hairs (DOE, EPA, etc) or have some strong reason to believe they’ll be fired anyway; people with easily transferable skills that are not gov- specific (IT).

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    7. have some sympathy*

      Remote workers. Remote workers are feeling very very stressed right now. We’re being told that the only way to avoid being forced to come into the office is to take this offer.

      I hate all this blaming people for this. Yes, it’s a scam. But there’s a lot going on here with these threats, and people are terrified.

      The only reason I’m not a gibbering wreck is because my supervisor has my back. With my previous supervisor? I’d be checking myself into an inpatient program. I am not kidding.

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      1. Z Fed Employee*

        Also I moved here to work from home. I don’t have an office here to return to. There is a “my agency” workplace quite nearby but I’d be shocked to learn that they have any empty office space for 100s or 1000s of people within 50 miles.

        I am concerned I may be forced to return to work somewhere that’s a very long commute, that has terrible/expensive parking I’d be forced to pay for. But I’m sticking it out now. Others do not want to drive however far they’d have to to go into the office

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        1. I should really pick a name*

          You might be shocked to learn that not everyone being offered this “deal” has heard about that.

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          1. pope suburban*

            It’s not super obscure. The who Twitter-deal debacle was in headlines for months, and the bungled layoffs were too. Plus years of similar horror stories from Tesla and SpaceX. At this point, if someone is actually totally unaware of what kind of creature they’re dealing with in Elon Musk, that person is sufficiently disengaged from the world that they’re not fit to be working. There’s simply no way for a functioning person to actually know nothing about this.

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            1. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

              They might not know of this if they stay in their echo chamber. Some Liberals also do the equivalent, but in this case, at least, the right-wing echo chamber is more harmful.

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              1. Hastily Blessed Fritos*

                The number of feds, excluding political appointees, in the right-wing echo chamber is close enough to zero that it’s a reasonable approximation.

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      4. Caramel & Cheddar*

        Not just this, but I think people who are extremely online overestimate the degree to which the average person is keeping track of this stuff (which is to say, probably not at all). Sometimes even when stuff is happening directly to you, you still aren’t connecting all the dots because you don’t even know about all the other dots out there.

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      1. What_the_What*

        I mean Trump isn’t exactly known for abiding by contracts or paying his debts. I wouldn’t take any offer that man made about anything. And (F)elon Musk isn’t any better.

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    10. Count von tshirt's phone*

      My sibling took the offer. Their partner did not. Rhey are ‘hedging their bets’, so to speak. Both are expecting to be let go any day. Neither are expecting to be compensated. They would like to come back to Canada but due to passport issues, cannot. Both are scared out of their minds.

      We’re scrambling up here trying to figure out how to help. It’s very overwhelming as an observer. I cannot fathom what you all are going through.

      Sending you all sticky maple syrup hugs.

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      1. Clementine*

        If they are Canadians, they should visit the embassy or consulate to get help to come back. Canada won’t keep out its own citizens.

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        1. Count von tshirt's tablet*

          My sibling is Canadian and has a Canadian passport. Their partner is not. We’re trying to get information together for them, so they can attempt to cross if it comes to that.

          There’s still a lot of grey areas where no one has answers, unfortunately.

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    11. Clementine*

      Considering the source of the offer, of course I can see it’s a scam. But it’s shocking and jarring that an official US government email from the highest levels should be viewed as a scam, and that is something that would be totally out of the experience of most people. I can definitely understand why workers have been fooled.

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    12. Z Fed Employee*

      The early retirement is a huge draw, and only available to someone who takes DERP. Who knows if it will be offered again.

      Heard of someone who was planning to leave in October anyway … but is eligible for early retirement if they take DERP. They’d actually rather do a slower / smoother transition, but to get early retirement (which gives their family healthcare they wouldn’t have without it) they have to take DERP and disappear in a few weeks.

      Also we were exhausted before. A few months paid vacation sounds heavenly.

      And I’m pretty scared that I’m not enough of a yes man for to remain in the federal government so I expect to find myself out of a job without 6 months of paid vacation.

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      2. ferrina*

        How do you feel about 6 months unpaid vacation?

        The offer doesn’t have any funding, so it’s very possible that they “paid” part of the promise won’t come through. This is very similar to what Elon did when he took over Twitter- if you haven’t tracked what happened there, it is very worth looking up.

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        1. Z Fed Employee*

          If I don’t resign I will be paid. (Or not see govt CR)

          There is no severance pay; there is only the employee’s normal paycheck while they are on *admin leave* for 6 months.

          Most people I know don’t believe it all, but they’re expecting at least some pay until it falls apart or they need to resign to accept early retirement which they want to do.

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    13. Parenthesis Guy*

      People that think they’re going to get RIF’d. If you work at the CFPB for example, then you know you have a target on your back. You’re probably not making it to June.

      If you’re a GS-13 making $135k, then unemployment replaces a minimal amount of your salary. If you’re not eligible for severance, then you don’t have much to lose.

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    14. Fishsticks*

      The single fed employee I know who took it has stated they were planning to retire in July anyway and now they see the chance to potentially get a couple extra months of pay.

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    15. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

      Those Feds probably include Trump supporters, who trust him and Musk not to harm “good” people like them, only the “other, evil” Feds – socialist, liberal, black, gay etc.

      Are Republican-supporting media in the US also warning about this very dubious offer?
      If not, since many people don’t go outside their echo chamber for news, Trumper Feds may not even be aware of the likely con.

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    16. Anon Because It's Weird Right Now*

      A friend of mine bit. They were considering retiring this year anyway so jumped on the “buyout” offer. They were dazzled by ethereal dollar signs. I don’t think they understand that there are no funds allocated and the offer is more or less unauthorized and doesn’t follow any agency or federal department process. (They’ll be fine overall if he gets walked without the payout; they and their spouse are financially set. They just wanted a bonus – who wouldn’t?)

      But, oh, how I wish people would CHECK sources. Although had I not seen that horrible post from the fired Twitter employer in this forum, initially I might have thought these offers legit.

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    17. Neither a federal employee nor a statistician*

      Keep in mind that there are 3 million federal employees. So if “tens of thousands” means 30,000, that’s 1%, which could just be the few people who were going to quit anyways. Plus maybe a few outliers who have a BS tolerance and/or risk aversion two standard deviations outside the norm.

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  2. Lisa*

    Just noting for anyone who can’t listen where they are right now, if you click through there is a transcript.

    Thank you Alison for being a great resource for all the people affected by this!

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  3. epicdemiologist*

    Agree with Fed Here, and would also add (1) I’m not convinced of the reliability of the source(s) for those counts, and (2) I wouldn’t put it past some of the current players to be “accepting” the offer on their workers’ behalf. (Remember that Elon & Co. have access to basically all the workers’ personal information.)

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  4. CL*

    Thank you for calling out the impact on federal contractors. This has had a huge impact on my industry and much of my network is now laid off or furloughed.

    Reply ↓
    1. 3-Foot Tall Inflatable Rainbow Unicorn*

      I worry about that a lot. The last two furloughs, 16 days under Obama and 35 (!!) under Trump were devastating for contractors. And those were just temporary stoppages! Cuts like the ones Elon dreams of will throw a massive proportion of workers in the DC-MD-VA area completely out of work – and for every 5 federal jobs lost, 2-3 private jobs are lost.

      There’s going to be double-digit unemployment in and around the Capitol. Yet instead of worrying about that, the VA Attorney General is signing letters threatening Costco for continuing its DEI program. (Seriously, anyone reading this is in any of the 19 states suing Costco, call your AG and Governor and let them know what you think of this use of your tax dollars.)

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      1. Who M&E?!*

        I’m a federal contractor, and so many of our people are affected. Our company is basically floating us all on an overhead charge code, but we’re scrambling for ANYTHING that will take us.

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      2. Hlao-roo*

        Seriously, anyone reading this is in any of the 19 states suing Costco, call your AG and Governor and let them know what you think of this use of your tax dollars.

        The 19 State AGs that signed the letter are:

        Steve Marshall
        Attorney General of Alabama

        Tim Griffin
        Attorney General of Arkansas

        Chris Carr
        Attorney General of Georgia

        Raúl R. Labrador
        Attorney General of Idaho

        Rusell M. Coleman
        Attorney General of Kentucky

        Liz Murrill
        Attorney General of Louisiana

        Andrew T. Bailey
        Attorney General of Missouri

        Austin Knudsen
        Attorney General of Montana

        Mike Hilgers
        Attorney General of Nebraska

        Drew Wrigley
        Attorney General of North Dakota

        Dave Yost
        Attorney General of Ohio

        Gentner Drummond
        Attorney General of Oklahoma

        Alan Wilson
        Attorney General of South Carolina

        Marty Jackley
        Attorney General of South Dakota

        Jonathan Skrmetti
        Attorney General of Tennessee

        Ken Paxton
        Attorney General of Texas

        Jason S. Miyares
        Attorney General of Virginia

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          1. Hlao-roo*

            She did sign! Copy/paste error on my part. Here are the two names that I missed in my original comment:

            Brenna Bird
            Attorney General of Iowa

            Kris Kobach
            Attorney General of Kansas

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        3. MyStars*

          Don’t know about the other states, but here in Texas, Ken Paxton literally does not care what anyone thinks about his actions. This might be the least appalling thing he’s done in recent years.

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      3. Katara's side braids*

        They’re salivating at the idea of a sudden flood of highly-qualified, desperate workers on the job market. Workers got some leverage for the first time in decades and they want to make sure it never happens again.

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  5. Honey cocoa*

    Those Websites Allison mentions are
    Civil Servants Strong
    And Project Democracy’s If You Can Keep It
    For those of us that didn’t catch it the first time we listened.

    Reply ↓
  6. Magdalena*

    Alison, thank you for being a voice of sanity!
    I’m wondering how many people are still unaware of how big of a deal this is, people who are insufficiently informed or misinformed but who might take action if they knew.

    On that note, is there a website/resource that gives examples of jobs/sectors that are affected?
    I know of VA health professionals who have gotten The Email (shared on Bluesky) and several other egregious examples but don’t know of any site that has a list.

    Maybe that’s naive but I think a list (not a comprehensive list but a few or more examples on a single web page) could be a good resource to share with friends and family who are misinformed rather than purposefully malicious.

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    1. deferred*

      Isn’t it the whole civilian service, with a few exceptions (e.g. postal workers)? I’m a bit fuzzy on national security – I heard CIA was the first such agency to receive the email but haven’t heard if they’ve added others since.

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      1. anon to protect my sib*

        No, only some. Depends on what branch they work for, etc.

        My sib works for the federal courts. Not subject to this “offer”. However, their personnel documents are all run by the OPM, so they spent quite a lot of time downloading and printing out documents.

        They are concerned about their paycheck, however, since that comes from the US Treasury, which has been taken over by the muskrat.

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      1. Z Fed Employee*

        They walked it back.

        Initially everyone …. Then a few days later everyone but very vaguely healthcare, security, firefighters … on Friday after the deadline the VA put out a list of job not eligible and it has a lot of medical categories but very little support people. I also heard that VA doesn’t know if it applies to all medical categories listed are only people who work in the hospitals because there’s a huge administration above the hospital and there are a lot of medical people working on policy and programs plus all the support needed to run the largest medical system in the world. All that could still fall apart.

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      2. constant_craving*

        There are positions that aren’t eligible for it. And people that apparently aren’t eligible still got the email in at least some cases (see air traffic controllers, though I’m unclear on whether they were originally exempt or if that was thrown in after the crash).

        I actually think a list is kind of brilliant. Lots of people like the idea of “reducing government bloat” but might be given a bit more pause if they see particular positions listed that will impact their life. I think for many people, “government worker” calls to mind an image of someone sitting in an office pointlessly pushing papers around. It could help to emphasize the positions likely to directly factor into people’s thinking.

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        1. Fishsticks*

          I believe it was after the crash, they walked it back. I read a few news articles that had Musk and his fanboys pretty clearly trying to claim they totally didn’t mean it like that but ATC higher-ups were explicitly told to resign.

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        2. Z Fed Employee*

          Really it’s just poor planning. They removed agencies and disallowed certain jobs after the initial email when someone pointed out that people might actually die if everyone who wants to resign does.

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  7. What_the_What*

    My husband and son are Federal Civilians. My daughter and I are both Federal Contractors. On top of that they are POC/mixed race and she is a member of the LGBTQ community, in a very red state, who depends on the VA Hospital for her care. At every turn it feels like another strike against one or more of us. We’re all worried. I’m losing sleep (on the plus side, also a little weight). We’re all trying to ride it out, but it’s hard. Hubby can retire at any time and collect SS now that he’s 62, but for his civilian pension he needs another 5 years of service, and we couldn’t make it on SS alone without moving, which of course comes with its own costs. I need 2 more years and, assuming there’s SS left, we can live comfortably, if frugally. But, if it all ends today, tomorrow, next week…. I just don’t know what we would do. And our community is almost all fed/fed adjacent. I’m so scared and angry and sad for and about everyone and everything, right now.

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    2. ferrina*

      Sending love your way! Good luck to all of you.

      I’m (maybe naively) hoping that the day-to-day impact on federal workers will calm down. I’m sure daily life won’t be as secure or safe as it was a few months ago (at least not until a new administration), but hopefully better than the last month. Right now there is definitely a shock-and-awe factor.

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    1. pally*

      Oh yes!! Love Ayesha Rascoe! I so enjoy how relatable she is. And how she interviews folks. Makes everyone sound so interesting.

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    2. Manders*

      If I was ever forced to be on a long plane ride in the middle seat, I would want to be between Ayesha and Alison. How great would that be, LOL?

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  9. Yay! I’m a llama again!*

    Solidarity to you all. We can see what’s happening and we’re on your side. You will all come through this. We are with you. Sending everyone so many positive thoughts.

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  10. Hiring Mgr*

    I wonder if threre’s a fed gov’t “expert” that Alison can interview, similar to the one who she brings in sometimes for DEI questions

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    1. So confused*

      What I’m hearing from federal employee friends is that all the rules have gone out the window. I’m not sure anyone is an “expert” under these circumstances.

      Reply ↓
    2. HigherEd Escapee*

      This is a great questions. I’d love to see Alison interview Malcolm Nance, Pete Buttigieg, or Julie Su for starters.

      Reply ↓
  11. lee*

    I have been thinking that we need to have a widespread movement to support civil servants. Something like what many places had in the early days of COVID, where at 8 PM folks made lots of noise, shouting, clapping, banging pans, to support the essential workers.

    I’m not sure how to get this started so if people have ideas, please share, thanks.

    Reply ↓
    1. irianamistifi*

      The best support you can give is resistance and making yourself heard politically. Call your senators, call your congressfolk and tell them exactly what you want them to do: oppose illegal meddling in our government, Stand up for our immigrant neighbors, keep the government running. Our taxes pay for the goods and services of government and our representatives are supposed to be the defense against this kind of nonsense.

      Someone in my network mentioned that they called their senator and heard, “wow, we got a lot of calls from constituents today!”. How many calls is a lot? 17. SEVENTEEN CALLS. We can move the needle by ensuring our voices are heard.

      Reply ↓
      1. Ann O'Nemity*

        People are definitely calling! All of my representatives’ voicemail inboxes are full. My senator’s local office has stopped accepting calls—you just get a garbled automated message about high call volume before the line disconnects.

        Reply ↓
    2. a Fed*

      Thanks for the thought, Lee

      There wasn’t much the public could do to affect the course of the pandemic, aside from masking – but there are things Americans can do to oppose this gutting of the government.

      As a federal employee, I am far more interested in citizens contacting their Republican representatives and Senators to voice their opposition than public demonstrations. Please reach out and express your views.

      Reply ↓
    3. pope suburban*

      With all due respect, I think the best support we can give is material. Which I know is a challenge for many, but it’s what’s needed. Back in the old days when union membership was high, part of what the dues were for was to help with expenses during strikes or shutdowns. That’s going to be what’s needed now. People are trying to survive and they have no ability to plan for what’s coming, because there’s no way to know what’s coming – it’s all so chaotic and stupid and evil and there’s new news every five minutes. Standing up and making sure people can still eat and have a roof is what will show solidarity.

      Reply ↓
    4. a Fed*

      One other note – I’ve looked at a couple of the lawsuits groups have filed opposing these changes, including a government union. In both, the lawyers were Democracy Forward – you could consider supporting them, too. There are also other NGOs doing work to support civil servants, including Ifyoucankeepit, which Alison mentioned.

      Reply ↓
    5. 3-Foot Tall Inflatable Rainbow Unicorn*

      Your best ways of supporting civil servants aren’t to make noise in the streets, it’s to make noise to the politicians. If your congress people are part of this capitulation, call and let them know you’re upset and didn’t vote for this. If your congress people are doing what you want (like filing the lawsuits to stop this) then call and thank them.

      This can be carried to the state level if necessary. 19 state Attorney Generals have decided to threaten Costco, a private business, for continuing DEI policies instead of reining in DOGE’s illegal activities. Call and let them know what you think of their priorities. Then call the state governor and ask why your tax dollars are going to attacking a private business instead of restarting cancer research. And again, call and thank those doing what you want to see done, because they’re getting a lot of grief for pushing back against DOGE.

      Reply ↓
      1. Z Fed Employee*

        Last comment from me.

        Contact your congressman. I think the only hope is the checks and balances of the American government putting a stop to it. We need republicans to stand up to him. We need to convince them that they’ll get voted out EVEN in red states if they don’t do something.

        Sadly For the republicans to listen I think we need to focus on the things they supposedly care about … I’m scared VA healthcare will suffer and our veterans need the best care, will American soldiers be killed defending Gaza, those FBI agents were just doing their job investing January 9 and there were police officers who suffered permanent medical injuries on January 9th, IDK

        I’m not sure what appeals to republicans but I think the that’s not how our democracy works is my best guess

        Reply ↓
        1. Katara's side braids*

          The bird flu outbreak will get even more out of hand and the eggs will be even more absurdly expensive. Called my Republican senator the other day and mustered my best “I want to talk to the manager” voice to ask what he is doing about the bird flu. All I wanted to do was bake some cookies, but the eggs cost more than it would have to just buy cookies, etc etc. That’s the angle that they feel got them elected, and (I hope) they’re scared to lose it. Hopefully this will 1) divert focus to some things that are actually pressing problems 2) force them to take a position on public health/farming regulations.

          Reply ↓
          1. 3-Foot Tall Inflatable Rainbow Unicorn*

            It’s not just eggs. Chicken itself is hard to get and now that bird flu is spreading to cows (not that the CDC is allowed to put alerts out about it), milk and beef are getting more expensive.

            “How are you going to protect the citizens of your state from avian flu?” is a good call script to use – ESPECIALLY with RFK, Jr coming up for a vote. You can cover prices, the silencing of the CDC and “Vote no on Jr” all in one call.

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    6. Taketombo*

      If you have Republican representatives or senators, call them and let them know you support federal workers

      If you have any elected representation that you feel is not doing enough (In my state the AG is a lead? co-author? on several of the lawsuits files against the changes to the federal agencies/ bureaucracy.) Call them. Ask if they are/why they are not filing to maintain education funding/medicaid block grants/etc. that should be coming to your state from the fed.

      I’ll feel supported if my job stays funded.

      Reply ↓
      1. SAF*

        “If you have any elected representation”

        YES – do it for those of us in DC, who are so affected right now, and have no voice.

        Reply ↓
  12. Toot Sweet*

    My company has employees who get funding from a government program, and I represent the company for this program. (I won’t name the agency or the program. You never know who’s lurking.)

    I keep checking randomly to see if the website is still up (it is as of this morning) and whether the application cycle opens up (not yet). I’m worried about those who benefit from this program. If it goes away, it’s going to make it extremely hard for those employees to get through this period financially. That could mean critical loss of staff because they’ll be looking for better-paying jobs elsewhere. The impact on our clients could be devastating. But apparently, this regime doesn’t care about the domino effect.

    Reply ↓
  13. Abogado Avocado*

    Excellent advice, Alison! And thanks for referencing Project Democracy, which is doing heroic work to fight for separation of powers and the Constitution.

    Reply ↓
  14. boof*

    FYI they are also potentially costing many academic centers with NIH grants millions as they’ve decided to just drop the amount that can go to institutional support from 50% to 15%? So if that money was to pay your staff to do research, in the grant you painstakingly worked hard for (Seriously, if you’ve never attempted an NIH grant it’s… a huge effort and hard to get funded in the first place even before this) now the rug’s just been swept out under you.

    Reply ↓
  16. Working under my down comforter*

    Please look out for each other. Supposedly, Bondi is going to start cracking down on those leaking this information out to the press.

    Reply ↓
  17. Not That Jane*

    I got in the car to go to the farmers market and tuned in just as you started answering a question. It made me so happy :)

    Reply ↓
  18. OldTiredRN*

    I live in the Midwest in a state with virtually no federal presence. No federal offices, almost zero military. This issue isn’t even on anyone’s radar here. The prevailing thinking here is that well paid federal jobs go to other states, other people. I worked in state government for 15 years and my worst days were when I needed to get a federal worker on the phone to help a customer. It sometimes took 2-3 weeks to get anyone to return a call. The sense was that they were bulletproof proof and had lifetime employment.

    I can’t say what’s going on now makes any sense but to my part of the country it feels like housecleaning. If you’re wondering where the support for all this drastic hurried action comes from, maybe it’s from states tired of sending money to DC without getting anything back.

    Reply ↓
    1. Jamie Starr*

      If you’re wondering where the support for all this drastic hurried action comes from, maybe it’s from states tired of sending money to DC without getting anything back.

      Ha! What about all the blue states that consistently pay more in taxes only to have that money sent to places like where you live? (Farm subsidies, for example.) You think you have no federal presence now where you live? Do you have mail delivered? Anyone you know qualify for Medicare, or Social Security? What about the food you buy in the grocery store that’s been FDA approved? Or the fact that children don’t have to work in sweat shops. That’s all a result of federal policies and programs. But okay, no federal presence where you live. Be careful of all that “housecleaning,” it may end up that the things I listed get thrown in the dumpster.

      Reply ↓
      1. WoodswomanWrites*

        Thank you for this comment. It’s a good model for me to use in future conversations about the impact of federal jobs throughout the country.

        Reply ↓

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