Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order for the federal government to adopt the new “workforce optimization initiative” previously introduced by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. What this really means for federal employees: A layoff count climbing to 100,000 workers. According to USA Today, employees within all federal agencies have been laid off, including 1000 National Park workers and 6000 employees working for the IRS enforcing national tax laws. Within these thousands of layoffs are not only those working to provide for themselves and their families, but also workers who help our government run smoothly.
Frankly, these layoffs have more of a damaging effect to our country than most people realize and are caused merely by corruption. Within these federal agencies are countless different departments, all of which have their own purpose.
Take, for instance, our park rangers. These professions do not just include gate guards or cashiers, but also firefighters, wildlife technicians and police officers who dedicate their time to our parks so they can thrive and stay accessible. Now, without those 1000 workers, our National Parks will see an extreme decline in quality within the next year.
While most people online are focused on the countless other executive orders President Trump has made, not to say that those are not impactful, only a fraction of our attention has shifted towards federal layoffs. 700 employees with the Center for Disease Control have been fired from their positions despite the threat of a bird flu and a southwest measles epidemic. Yes, 700 of the employees who helped progress us through a worldwide pandemic have been terminated. A great start to the new year.
As a country, we cannot live in fear, but we should be fearful for what these cuts mean for our nation. While most workers affected by these layoffs were either recent hires or recent promotions, this does not mean their duties were any less impactful than those hired previously. While our government is allowing the wealthiest man in the world to make these cuts, a man with no prior experience in government, to be clear, hundreds of thousands of Americans are now jobless and paying the price.
