A Remarkable Guest Post from a Federal Employee

Trying times indeed. Morale is low. Unsolicited as they are, these are my thoughts tonight.

It's tough to be a Federal employee right now. There is a lot of anxiety about how secure your job is or the work of your friends or family. I have friends that lost their job because they depended on USAID contracts, worked for USAID directly, or because they were probationary employees. Today alone I shook hands with someone who retired much earlier than he might have otherwise, watched the final presentation of a 34-year veteran of my program, and missed a farewell party for a 22 year public servant who shared that he was not ready to go- and it wasn't even a Friday.

With talk about reductions in force (mass firings), "restructuring" of agencies, and the wholesale elimination of some departments, my workplace sometimes feels like a sinking ship.

My biological father called yesterday. Having both voted for Trump and never truly held down traditional employment himself, he asked, "It's just a job, right?" For me, it isn't just a job: It's a calling. My feeling towards my work is not unlike that of a missionary or a musician. Let me be clear: federal employees are not saints- we're just normal people. And we aren't doing God's work- we're entrusted with yours. We take an incredible amount of pride in that trust. One friend has told me multiple times over the years how much it means to him to work for SNAP in the USDA as someone who depended on free/reduced lunches himself as a first-generation American. The work of government can only thrive so long as the American public trusts us to execute our mission. Public trust in American institutions- and American government in particular- has been in decline for many years now. Pew's research on this shows that American trust in government hit a seven-decade low in 2023 (https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/24/public-trust-in-government-1958-2024/). I appreciate how disillusioned many people feel about the federal government. And yet I can't help but wonder if this administration isn't stoking the fires of cynicism to not only weaken the so-called administrative state, but to make people's dissatisfaction a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That cynicism, the rampant uncertainty, and what feels like an ongoing smear campaign against federal employees by the very people we expect to be our champions got the better of me this week. I began job searching. I found an exciting opportunity that aligned with work I've enjoyed doing in the public sector for years now. I thought that perhaps if I set my salary request incredibly high, I'd either never get the job or have no choice but to take it if I did. After all, if the writing is on the wall, don't I have a responsibility to prepare for the worst? I held off. I've thought about my oath to the constitution and the pride I take in working for the people instead of a corporation. While I must admit, I feel an unmistakable bitterness towards the American public for being so careless with the American Experiment, I still fervently believe that they deserve a government that serves them. Perhaps most of all, I fear what America might look like without such a government.

No one in my agency knows what the future holds for any of us. But I've made my decision; I'm not applying anywhere. No high offer is going to force my hand. I am steadfast. And if this ship goes down, I'm going down with it.