Amerika Posted on 2024-11-20 15:10:00

Trump and Musk promise massive cuts - Federal workers hope to save jobs

From Edel Strazimiri

Trump and Musk promise massive cuts - Federal workers hope to save jobs

More than 2 million federal civilian employees in the US are seeking protection from Donald Trump and Elon Musk's promise to cut budget costs by cutting the number of government workers.

Federal employee unions are lining up lawyers and preparing public campaigns to try to avoid any mass layoffs, but they hope Republican members of Congress will join Democrats in defending their importance to local economies, health and safety.

Trump has tapped Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to chair a panel to overhaul the US government, and that is expected to revive a plan to return some federal workers to "Schedule F" status, which strips them of job protections.

Musk has said he could cut $2 trillion in spending, more than the annual discretionary budget, while Ramaswamy recently proposed cutting 50% of the workforce by laying off everyone whose Social Security number ends in an odd number. .

Because the US Congress sets federal spending levels, Republicans can prevent any erosion of their power, unions say.

Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy "will go against the mandates of Congress and against the Constitution, and start this debate about who has the right to spend money on behalf of the American people," predicted Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees. , which represents over 100,000 federal employees.

The US government is the nation's largest employer. While workers are concentrated in Washington DC, and nearby Maryland and northern Virginia. Some of the largest concentrations of federal workers can be found in areas like southern Oklahoma and northern Alabama, which are represented by Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Trump could ask Congress to refuse to spend money on government agencies he has already approved, a process known as a shutdown, to fire employees.

"The American people re-elected President Trump by a wide margin, giving him a mandate to follow through on the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver on them," said Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Trump's transition team.

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