They voted for Donald Trump for president and for a change in the direction of the federal government. But this wasn't the kind of change they had in mind.
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They voted for Donald Trump for president and for a change in the direction of the federal government. But this wasn't the kind of change they had in mind.
Laid off by the administration in recent days from their U.S. government jobs, the Trump voters expressed dismay at what they said has been an unfocused, counterproductive and callous slashing of the federal workforce.
Rather than advancing the efficiency President Trump has said he desires, the fired workers said taxpayers will be losing important services that, for example, helped military veterans cope with financial hardships, searched for drought- and pest-tolerant crops and assured that medical providers got Medicare reimbursements.
Some of the workers are appealing to get their jobs back, while others said they are not sure what to do — deeply discouraged that their attempts at public service appeared to be spurned by the new president and some of the public.
"I was thinking that there would be changes," said a Department of Agriculture researcher in the mid-Atlantic region who studies drought- and pest-resistant crops. "But instead of being focused, this is just going completely off the rails, chopping and slicing up parts of the government that are protecting Americans."
The worker — who asked to remain anonymous to increase his chances of regaining his job — said he twice voted for Trump and was disturbed at how much authority over government reductions the president had turned over to his chief cost-cutter, Elon Musk.
