Members view the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the government as an attack on civil servants.
WASHINGTON – Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) found dozens of Democrats and gathered at a rally proposed by the Trump administration against the federal government reduction.
“It’s all the effort on the deck and we’re fighting for you in Congress,” Jeffries spoke with a member of the Federation of American Government Employees outside the Russell Senate building. “We’re fighting for you in court, and we’ll make sure we do what we need in our community.”
The United States Federation of Government Employees is the largest union of government officials, boasting over 800,000 members.
One after the other, lawmakers condemned the federal government’s downsizing and promoted the virtues of civil servants and unions.
“What do you hate?” MP Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) chanted. “Union Bust!” the crowd replied.
Controversial changes have led to Donald Trump through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a newly created agency aimed at reducing government workforce, eliminating bureaucratic redundancy and reducing spending. He is led by the president and high-tech billionaire Elon Musk.
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As part of that effort, government workers are being offered acquisitions that allow them to resign with eight months of continuous pay and benefits. The deadline to accept the offer was originally February 7th, but was extended twice by a federal judge in Massachusetts.
The acquisition offers and other reduced efforts were described by Jeffries as “attacks” on civil servants.
Explaining the move, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on February 11th. “What we’re trying to do is reduce the government.
“We have office space occupied by 4%. They were told not to do so, so no one is showing up at work.”
The president attended a press conference with masks. Musk highlighted in detail examples of waste and fraud revealed by his team, including Social Security payments for an allegedly 150-year-old individual.
Musk said that Kuji’s efforts were something American voters wanted to see.
“People voted for a massive government reform, and that’s what people are trying to get,” he said.
Following the administration’s attempts to shut down or restructure the entire government agency, there has been a growing backlash from the government sector against Trump, Musk and Doge.
Approximately 2,200 employees of the United States Organization for International Development (USAID) were scheduled to be on paid leave late at night on February 7th.
Trump and Musk are targeting the Department of Education, citing massive spending and poor academic achievements.
Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem said on February 9 that he hopes that the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) will be closed or that the distribution of aid will be reorganized so that it will be handled by the states.
The administration’s efforts are just as rife with a surge in lawsuits as public demonstrations by Congressional Democrats.
Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) announced plans to oppose government cuts on February 10, revealing other changes imposed by the Trump administration.
His four-part strategy includes additional oversight by Congressional members, more litigation, withholding Democrats’ support for funding laws, and rallying public support.
