Groups Raise Concerns on Trump Plan to Cut Federal Workforce
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) on Wednesday slammed the latest executive order from President Donald Trump's administration aimed at cutting the federal workforce. Trump signed the EO Tuesday that said he would require the heads of federal agencies to make "large-scale [staff] reductions.” The continuing assault has sparked anxiety at the FCC and other agencies critical to the communications industry (see 2502070047). Appearing with Elon Musk, Trump told reporters that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency had uncovered billions of dollars in fraud, but he didn’t offer details.
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"Firing huge numbers of federal employees won't decrease the need for government services," said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. "It will just make those services harder or impossible to access for everyday Americans, veterans and seniors who depend on them ... These reckless, unjustified cuts will accomplish only two things: huge tax cuts for Musk and Trump's billionaire buddies and a broken government for the rest of us.”
The cuts threaten “bipartisan programs” at the FCC and Department of Commerce that "deliver essential broadband communications networks to all Americans and manage the public airwaves in accordance with the public interest,” Public Knowledge President Chris Lewis said Wednesday. Lewis noted concerns that the administration won’t honor court orders, which Trump downplayed Tuesday, saying he always abides by the courts. “Without transparency, representation, and proper, constitutional law-making, Americans lose their rights to a government that represents and balances the views and needs of all of us,” Lewis said.