{"id":11234,"date":"2025-03-06T08:25:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T13:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=11234"},"modified":"2025-03-06T09:32:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T14:32:59","slug":"federal-employees-youre-on-your-own-suckers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2025\/03\/06\/federal-employees-youre-on-your-own-suckers\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Employees: You\u2019re On Your Own Suckers!"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>he Musk-Trump Administration has taken a chain saw to the federal workforce.\u00a0 Chop, chop, chop; cut, cut, cut.<\/p>\n

And the cuts didn\u2019t come because of any kind of audit or evaluation of the effectiveness or efficiency of the affected program.\u00a0 The cuts were based on the judgement of a bunch of 20-something DOGE-Bros who know nothing about the programs or the federal government in general.<\/p>\n

Workers and agencies across the board were affected, including those providing critical public health, environmental, and consumer protections.\u00a0 Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Labor, the Agriculture Department, the Department of Education, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Park Service, the IRS, the \u00a0Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Social Security Administration!<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m sure I missed something here.\u00a0 The loss of these jobs is devastating for the federal workers and their families, and the resulting diminution of services is devasting for the rest of us.<\/p>\n

But it was the US Agency for International Development (USAID) that suffered the full impact of the cost-cutting frenzy.\u00a0 In his own words on X,<\/a> Co-President Musk crowed \u201cWe spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.\u00a0 Could have gone to some great parties. Did this instead.\u201d And this is our Co-President speaking. Talking about actual people. Workers whose lives and livelihoods were being upended.<\/p>\n

Quick detour on USAID<\/strong><\/h2>\n

USAID was established on November 3,1961 by President John F. Kennedy. It was created to unify and streamline U.S. foreign aid programs, which had previously been managed by multiple agencies. During its lifetime, the agency responded to a host of global health crises and played a major role in post-disaster relief efforts.\u00a0 It participated in counterterrorism and stabilization efforts after 9\/11 and in the 2020s, focused on climate change, COVID-19 response, food security, and supporting Ukraine following the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n

Today, the only thing you\u2019ll find on the USAID.gov<\/a> website is the February email to DC-based USAID staff telling them how to get their personal belongings out of the Ronald Reagan Building and telling them that \u201cStaff WILL NOT be reimbursed for any transportation or parking costs associated with collecting their personal belongings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Victims of Elonism<\/h2>\n

Sure, like any organization, USAID wasn\u2019t perfect, and it had its share of controversy.\u00a0 But its mission was honorable and its efforts laudable.<\/p>\n

When Musk turned on the chipper, some 5,800 projects were abruptly terminated \u201cfor the convenience and the interest of the U.S. government.\u201d Certainly not in the interest of the those receiving or providing care and treatment for tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, Ebola, and a host of tropical diseases. Or those in programs focused on maternal and child health, malnutrition, clean water, adequate sanitation, and the trauma of war and displacement.\u00a0 [See here<\/a>,\u00a0 here<\/a> for some of these efforts] And certainly not in the interest of the 12,700 Americans who lost their jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This was not a bloodless, bureaucratic, boring budget exercise that only affects unelected faceless bureaucrats. For weeks, global health experts have been warning Trump appointees that hundreds of thousands of people will die if USAID is closed.<\/a> Internal memos noted that up to 166,000 people will die from malaria, and new cases of tuberculosis will go up by 30%. One million children will not be treated for severe acute malnutrition, and two hundred thousand children will be paralyzed by polio over the next decade. Ignoring this message is beyond a callous disregard for human life. Seems more like a mass murder in the making.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not forget that what goes around can come around. Infectious disease can hop a plane and arrive here at home. During the 2014-2016 outbreak, 11 people with Ebola were treated in the United States, nine of whom had contracted it in western Africa, most as health care workers. Two died.<\/p>\n

One promising bit of news \u2013 just yesterday (Wednesday, March 5) the Supreme Court rejected President Trump\u2019s emergency request to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid<\/a> as part of his efforts to slash government spending.<\/p>\n

Adding the Insult to the Job Loss Injury<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Readers of Confined Space understand all too well what losing a job can mean.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • A significant financial impact<\/strong> \u2013 making it difficult to cover expenses like rent\/mortgage, utilities, groceries, prescriptions, medical bills, filling up the car. Loss of employer-provided health insurance, retirement contributions, and other benefits. A drain on savings or taking on new debt.<\/li>\n
  • A career impact. <\/strong>Extended unemployment may make it harder to secure future jobs and can lead to a decline in skills.<\/li>\n
  • A social and relationship impact. <\/strong>Financial stress can create tension and strain relationships with family and friends. A loss of daily social interactions at work can lead to loneliness and isolation.\u00a0 Ask anyone who has been laid off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    OK, the demise of USAID may not be the worst news you\u2019ve heard over the past few weeks. [God save the King!].\u00a0 But here\u2019s the kicker:: \u00a0An unnamed source tells me that at least one company with a now defunct contract with USAID held an all-hands meeting this week to let the staff know that they were shutting the program down\u2014and that their overseas employees should come home.\u00a0 AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Seriously?\u00a0 Tough luck, folks and good luck finding cheap flights.\u00a0 The multi-billion dollar company is still in business as far as I can tell\u2026. But they left their overseas workers high and dry.<\/p>\n

    I get that the loss of a big government contract is a blow. And I\u2019m sorry about this one in particular.\u00a0 But come on\u2026.. even if you can\u2019t continue to employ these people, can\u2019t you help them get back home to look for other jobs?\u00a0 Why add insult to injury?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Musk-Trump Administration has taken a chain saw to the federal workforce.\u00a0 Chop, chop, chop; cut, cut, cut. And the cuts didn\u2019t come because of any kind of audit or evaluation of the effectiveness or efficiency of the affected program.\u00a0 The cuts were based on the judgement of a bunch of 20-something DOGE-Bros who know […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[303],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doge"],"yoast_head":"\nFederal Employees: You\u2019re On Your Own Suckers! - Confined Space<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Federal employees have been the victims of Elon Musk's rampage through the federal government, especial USAID.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2025\/03\/06\/federal-employees-youre-on-your-own-suckers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Federal Employees: You\u2019re On Your Own Suckers! 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