The Impact of Trump’s America First Agenda on the Federal Workforce
Federal government workers across the United States are expressing growing concerns over President Trump’s America First agenda and its potential impact on a bloated and sometimes anti-American federal workforce. A recent pouty CNN report delves into “Trump’s 10-Point Plan” to beat the “Deep State,” which aims to reduce the federal government’s size, power, and cost to taxpayers.
Here is what CNN is referring to:
#AGENDA47: President Trump’s plan to DISMANTLE the deep state, FIRE the rogue bureaucrats and career politicians in Washington, and return our government to the AMERICAN PEOPLE.
The corrupt establishment is fighting President Trump because President Trump fights for YOU! pic.twitter.com/qSorLPmsa1
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 21, 2023
Project 2025: A More Radical Shift to ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ of America
However, according to Steve Bannon of the WarRoom, what truly worries government employees is Project 2025, an initiative from the Heritage Foundation. Described on their site as even more alarming than simply reducing the size of the government.
The scariest thing might be the idea of filling government positions up with regular patriots- and Project 2025 has that as a clear goal:
“The project will build on four pillars that will, collectively, pave the way for an effective conservative administration: a policy agenda, personnel, training, and a 180-day playbook.”
Bannon, in a Friday interview with Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts, outlines plans in Project 2025 that go beyond mere downsizing. These plans include reshaping the federal government by overhauling departments, reorganizing agencies, and even shifting federal agencies out of Washington, D.C.
Roberts told Bannon he was glad the Deep State was worried about the project because it is not for them.
Here is who Project 2025 is for:
This book is an invitation for you the reader—Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, and Ms. Smith—to come to Washington or support those who can. Our goal is to assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State.
For more context on that discussion watch:
Defanging the Federal Government
Supporters of Trump argue that the federal government needs to be defanged so it is not perceived as scary to the average American citizen. They believe reducing bureaucracy and streamlining processes will lead to a more efficient government.
However, critics of the America First agenda tell CNN that they fear that such extensive changes to the federal workforce structure could weaken the government’s ability to serve the public effectively. Dismantling specific departments and altering agency structures may disrupt essential services and hinder responsiveness.
Go and watch, in the WarRoom segment above, that opening with Anderson Cooper again.
Supporters of the America First agenda are willing to take their chances on the losses of such government workers.
The Loyalty Oath Debate
One of the significant concerns among government workers is what they are calling ” the loyalty oath ” to America First principles, which Project 2025 upholds. Critics of the America First agenda, as highlighted in the CNN segment featuring Anderson Cooper in the WarRoom segment above and the pouty CNN article, contend that requiring an oath is described as a “suck-up”.
Perhaps something “scary” like this?
Also, this concern seems irrational when we consider some data about the political makeup of government workers.
According to a report by FedSmith:
“In 2020, federal employees and their unions donated millions of dollars to political campaigns, with most of the contributions going to Democratic candidates.”
According to that report, the Department of State and the Department of Defense were major contributors, followed by the Department of Justice. Federal employee unions also actively donated to Democratic candidates and causes. The overwhelming support for Democrats among federal employees—around 72.63% of total contributions—suggests a clear political preference.
The Deep State Perception
This trend of donations contributes to perceptions of a “deep state” or a political bias within the federal workforce.
Democrat policy experts warn that Trump’s agenda could open the door to corruption and weaken institutional knowledge within the federal government. As of January 2022, approximately 2.7 million civilian employees play crucial roles in various federal agencies and departments. That is a lot of Democrats with an agenda.
SO—In the ongoing battle between streamlining bureaucracy and preserving institutional integrity, the fate of the federal workforce hangs in the balance. This is scary to Trump’s opponents because if he wins, they will have to realign with America again or find a new job.
For a little more research, here is some data on the “deepstate” or the “administrative state”:
List of US Federal agencies (Print off if you want to grasp the total weight of what we are dealing with)
List of Political Appointments
For background on Bannon’s consistent message about Populism and Trump supporters, consider this:
“The Populist movement is to get more power down to the little guy” – Steve Bannon, Oxford Union Speech 2018, adding:
“I had a choice between the first hundred people who showed up at the Trump rally in the red hats or the top 100 partners from Goldman Sachs, where I was honored to work- I would take the deplorables every day, they have more humanity, more grit, they know more about life, and have more decency, and more common goodness. Okay. The world will be fine if they ran it.”
[go to 1:00:00 mark]
Steve Bannon | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union – 2018 https://t.co/CIxwk4BcHw
— Grace Chong 🇺🇸 (@gc22gc) April 27, 2024
