The American people are happy with the federal government services they receive. In fact, their satisfaction reached the highest level since 2017 to stand at nearly 70 out of 100 today. But things are about to change, and the American people should brace themselves for cuts to their benefits and services if President-elect Trump implements his anti-families policies.
Here are a few highlights of how the American people will suffer under Trump’s policies:
1. Cuts to services, benefits
The incoming administration has plans to slash the federal workforce which provides important services to the American people. They also plan to replace federal employees with people loyal to Trump and his ideology who may not have the skills and experience needed to do the work.
Trump plans to reinstate Schedule F and reclassify, at a minimum, tens of thousands of positions as political appointees who will be hired and fired based on loyalty to Trump, not qualifications for their positions. This will harm agency missions and the services they provide to the American people.
The weather service, for example, could be politicized, creating chaos and endangering the American people. This already happened in 2019 when Trump falsely declared that Hurricane Dorian was about to hit Alabama. National Weather Service forecasters had to correct him, leading their parent agency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under pressure from the White House, to issue a statement undermining its own forecast and scientists.
Schedule F will hurt employee morale and drive people out of the government, taking with them expertise and institutional knowledge. It will also make it a lot harder for the government to replace these experts as the reputation of the civil service is harmed. Staffing shortages at many agencies will get worse, and the American people will not receive the benefits they are entitled to.
And then there will be budget cuts to federal programs and operations. How big are these cuts? $2 trillion, according to billionaire Elon Musk, who has been appointed by Trump along with Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a private commission tasked with recommending drastic changes and cuts to the federal government’s programs the American people rely on.
Budget cuts of this magnitude will affect vital programs that tens of millions of Americans currently rely on for their financial security and their health and safety. This includes Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, food assistance for low-income families, veterans’ benefits and health care, and so much more.
When Ramaswamy was a Republican presidential candidate, he suggested cutting 75% of the federal workforce. It’s hard to imagine what will happen to national security if this misguided idea is taken seriously as the majority of federal employees work at the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.
It’s important to recognize that federal spending on salaries and benefits is only a tiny part of the overall budget each year, yet politicians are regularly scapegoating federal workers instead of giving them the resources they need to serve the public.
Under Trump, the American people can also expect dirtier air and water as the administration will seek to gut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its regulations protecting public health. Polluters are going to have a field day.
2. Dangerous workplaces
Several health and safety standards that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been working on are likely to be shelved under Trump, who is openly anti-regulation.
The future of OSHA’s proposed heat standard, for example, is in jeopardy when Trump returns to the White House. The heat standard is undergoing a public comment period that ends Dec. 30, and it can take months for OSHA to review the comments and go through the process of issuing the final rule. If implemented, employers will be required to take steps to protect workers from extreme heat such as developing heat illness emergency plans and providing breaks, shade, and water. But it’s unlikely that Trump’s OSHA will finalize the rule in its current form and may be watered down if it is issued.
The infectious disease standard is also unlikely to see the light of day. The proposed standard has been sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and may not be released under the new administration at all.
Without OSHA’s intervention, employers are less likely to spend time and money to protect workers from hazards. They also won’t be held accountable when violating the law.
There are other health and safety issues that AFGE is concerned about. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP), for example, has several facilities that have not been properly maintained. These facilities have leaking roofs, leading to flooding and mold, posing health risk for workers. Without intervention from OSHA, the agency is even more unlikely to fix the problems.
3. More discrimination, hate crimes
During Trump’s first term, hate crimes surged across the country. Since then, he and his allies have only intensified their rhetoric – accusing immigrants of poisoning the blood of the nation, insinuating that hiring women and minorities over white men has caused professional standards to decline, threatening to deport protestors, and questioning the basic human dignity of trans individuals. These actions have caused widespread concerns among women, communities of color and LGBTQIA+.
Marginalized communities are therefore bracing themselves for Trump’s plans to dismantle the federal government’s efforts to address racism and gender equity. This includes the plans to eliminate diversity programs in education and censor academic discussion of race and gender.
Trump also wants to fire Department of Education employees he baselessly calls “radicals, zealots and Marxists” and create a new credentialing body to certify teachers who will teach according to new curriculum and standards developed by the Trump administration.
Trump’s pick for secretary of defense Pete Hegseth has already upset women as Hegseth criticized the military for “lowering standards” to allow women in combat roles even though they are capable and actually needed in many circumstances. Many female veterans have expressed their frustration over Hegseth diminishing their accomplishments and take issue with him saying the military is lowering standards to accommodate them. Likewise, as Fox News criticized budget increases at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Hegseth said veterans who seek all the benefits they are entitled to from the VA don’t have personal integrity.
Communities of color with heavily polluted air and water will also bear the brunt if the EPA’s programs that seek to protect them are be shut down under Trump, as was threatened in Project 2025.
AFGE President Everett Kelley pushed back on the incoming administration’s plan to drastically cut the federal workforce and agencies.
Read More
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to end telework in the federal government will likely backfire.
Read More
It’s that time of year to nominate local Legislative Political Coordinators (LPCs) for AFGE’s Fred McDuff LPC of the Year Award!
Read More
