FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Matt Dorsey
(202) 550-6987
February 14, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) is responding to the large-scale elimination of critical civil service jobs yesterday by the Trump-Musk Administration.
“The President and Elon Musk are being intentionally dishonest with the American public by claiming the mass firing of federal employees and downsizing of the civil service are about efficiency and cost savings,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “In reality, laying off thousands of important federal workers is inefficient and cruel. It is a tremendous task to hire and retain a skilled civil service, and indiscriminately dismissing qualified workers is an incredible waste of time and money. Firing tens of thousands of civil servants puts a massive strain on public services that Americans depend on every day and makes our country considerably less safe.”
The size of the civil service has not grown since the early 1950s, and per capita it is the smallest it has ever been. The entire federal workforce represents less than 16% of discretionary spending and less than 4% of the annual budget, while discretionary spending is its lowest percentage of GDP in American history. The civil service is already lean, understaffed, and overworked.
“The dismantling of our federal workforce is not about cost savings, but an attempt to cause chaos and eliminate oversight of the White House, Musk, and their wealthy allies.” continued Erwin. “It is disgusting to see the Trump-Musk Administration celebrate taking jobs from American workers and families. It is equally appalling to see some members of Congress intentionally denying support to their constituents who did nothing wrong except choose to serve their country as federal employees. President Trump and Elon Musk are now responsible for the tens of thousands of American workers who now have to worry about how they will provide for themselves and their families.”