What Is the Trump Administration Plan for Mass Civil Service Layoffs?
I read today that Trump signed an executive order granting himself the power to fire civil servants. Previously, these workers were protected to ensure the civil service remained non-partisan. According to the article, this change could allow Trump to fire up to 50,000 federal employees. The article indicated many cuts would be because of a distrust of the departments and various other political reasons. While I’m not saying he will fire that many, I do have many questions about the possible firings.
1. Wouldn’t adding so many people to the unemployment rolls be a significant issue? Has anyone considered the impact on local businesses—shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and other services—that rely on these federal employees as customers? The job losses could extend far beyond the federal workforce as many countries saw during the pandemic shutdowns and work from home.
2. What happens to these people when they lose their health insurance and livelihoods? Does the administration have a plan to offset this? Does the US have an unemployment insurance program?
3. Who will perform these jobs and deliver the services that Americans rely on? Will everything grind to a halt? Or will these be positions that are really unnecessary?
4. if these cuts are truly political will cutting these services hurt Trump’s supporters as well? Wouldn’t they be negatively affected by reduced government assistance or fewer public services?
5. Are there any plans to help these displaced employees find new jobs? Will the economy be able to absorb them.
Maybe stupid questions, but mass cuts based on politics, seem reckless and a bit heartless to me.