Federal Employees Describe Trump’s Actions as ‘Psychological Warfare,’ Feeling Under Constant Attack
Washington — Less than two weeks into his term, President Donald Trump is waging war against his own government, causing a great deal of fear among federal employees and recipients of federal aid as he tests the limits of his power to alter the nature, function, and nonpartisan character of government without the involvement of Congress.
Trump has attempted to cut off funding for numerous domestic and international assistance programs, made it easier to fire tens of thousands of federal employees, and started a campaign to pressure more to leave their positions, mostly through two obscure agencies: the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management.
The underlying executive order remains in force, and government personnel responsible for carrying it out are left to choose between court orders and presidential commands. Two federal judges have halted the OMB document that implemented the domestic spending freeze, and Trump revoked it this week in reaction to public uproar.
Nearly two dozen federal employees have spoken to NBC News over the past two weeks about a culture of fear, confusion, mistrust, and anger within federal organisations. Several government employees said they felt like they were being watched and tracked in a way they had never experienced before Trump’s comeback to power.
At a time when Americans’ trust in government has been eroding for decades—the vast majority of Gallup poll respondents say they do not trust that Washington will act morally always or most of the time—Trump is putting into practice long-standing Republican ideas on how to reduce and reorganise the federal footprint. The government’s effectiveness, efficiency, and resilience to partisan influence will be diminished, according to critics, if an ideological sledgehammer is introduced.
Nearly 60 U.S. Agency for overseas Development staff were placed on administrative leave following Trump’s order to freeze financing for overseas development programs. His advisors are already discussing a unilateral folding of the agency into the State Department, which opponents say cannot be done without a congressional authorisation. The agency’s website was unavailable on Saturday.
Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, stated that “the organising principle behind what they’re doing is that Trump wants to be king.” “The American people are suffering because he refuses to answer to the law.”
Van Hollen went on to say that Trump’s actions might make it harder for the president to get enough support to avoid a government shutdown in six weeks.
He added, “It also raises the question of whether we can move forward with a spending measure in any good faith.” “After all, the goal of these negotiations is to reach a compromise, but the president only keeps the things that he finds acceptable and throws away the rest.”
Members of Congress who support Trump, such as Sen. Jim Banks, a freshman from Indiana, claim the president is only keeping his campaign pledges.
“President Trump‘s pledge to eliminate government waste and restore common sense to the White House was a major factor in the American people’s overwhelming vote for him,” Banks told NBC News. “I applaud his administration’s efforts to make sure every tax dollar is used responsibly on the agenda he promised, especially in light of the $36 trillion national debt.”
All of this amounts to a high-stakes wager that the public would reward Trump and Republicans for their slash-and-burn strategy for reshaping the federal government, even if it means taking funds away from voters or state and local government operations that they depend on. Trump, who is constitutionally ineligible to seek reelection, is the least risky candidate, according to the president’s supporters.
According to one Republican operative, “the approach has been phenomenal thus far.”
However, the agent stated that they were “somely concerned” by the firing of the top six FBI officials on Friday, implying that this could be more of an external issue for Trump and his administration than an internal one.
This individual stated, “[Trump] really shouldn’t care when it comes to backlash.” It will ultimately be up to [Vice President] JD [Vance] [and] existing incumbents to justify the acts of this administration if there is blowback in the future. He is not running again, and reducing the size of the federal workforce is part of his mission.
Trump isn’t always waiting for attrition. He fired up to two dozen Justice Department prosecutors who worked on “Capitol siege” investigations, which involved defendants from the Jan. 6 attack on Congress, in addition to firing FBI leaders. Trump commuted the sentences of others and pardoned the majority of those found guilty of offences relating to January 6.
Trump blamed “DEI” hires at the Federal Aviation Administration for a deadly mid-air collision between a commercial regional jet and a military helicopter, citing “common sense” rather than evidence. Federal employees have also been warned that they will face “adverse consequences” if they fail to report on coworkers whose work touches on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
According to some government employees who talked to NBC News, the president’s comments and actions amount to a concerted campaign to frighten and demoralise the workforce.
In order to get federal government servants to quit, Trump has given billionaire Elon Musk, the volunteer leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, and his supporters the authority to offer “buyouts” that would continue to pay them through September. At OPM’s request, agency personnel chiefs and OPM itself have been in contact with workers almost every day with the “deferred resignation” option.
Employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were informed via email on Wednesday that if they have been with the agency for less than a year, they could be fired at any time.
According to a long-time federal government manager, “if you want government to function, you wouldn’t be attacking federal employees on a daily basis with psychological warfare.” “You want them to arrive inspired. This is not how it should be done.
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