Already under this new administration, tens of thousands of federal workers have lost their jobs or been strong-armed into accepting buyouts, a trend that shows no sign of slowing as unelected billionaire bureaucrat Elon Musk wages war on our taxpayer-funded civil service.
This week in OtherWords, Emese Ilyés looks at the faces of those firings and the work they’re being forced to abandon. “When a park ranger comforts a lost child or a VA data scientist develops a program to help veterans, they’re not just performing tasks listed in a job description — they’re engaging in the profound work of caring for one another that makes our public institutions function,” she writes.
Government scientists have been a particular target of this assault. As Basav Sen adds , the administration’s aggressive censorship of climate and public health research will only benefit special interests like fossil fuel corporations. “An administration claiming to crack down on ‘fraud, waste, and abuse’ in government is doing the opposite,” he argues. “It’s engaging in corruption on a massive scale to benefit wealthy, politically connected oligarchs — at the expense of the rest of us.”
Speaking of waste and fraud, Chisom Okorafor highlights the Pentagon budget, which House Republicans and President Trump recently endorsed increasing by at least $100 billion — even after the agency failed its seventh consecutive audit. And Farrah Hassen highlights the financial and moral costs of Trump’s disturbing push to detain tens of thousands of immigrants at Guantanamo Bay.
New This Week…
Elon Musk’s Purge of Federal Workers Is an Attack on Freedom | Emese Ilyés
Public service isn’t about bureaucracy — it’s about maintaining trust and connection. No wonder billionaires want to destroy it.
$100 Billion More for the Pentagon? No Thank You | Chisom Okorafor
Republican lawmakers want to slash services like Medicaid while pouring billions more into the Pentagon. They should do the opposite.
Guantánamo Needs to Be Shut Down, Not Expanded | Farrah Hassen
Trump wants to jail 30,000 immigrants at the notorious naval base, which became a symbol for torture and indefinite detention.
The War on Science Is a War on the Public | Basav Sen
The Trump administration is defunding and censoring science to serve corrupt corporate interests.
In Case You Missed It…
America Can’t Afford Trump’s Mass Deportations | Alliyah Lusuegro
For the cost of mass deportations, we could instead erase medical debt, provide universal school lunches, and end homelessness.
Trans People Aren’t to Blame for Your Struggles | Aaron Scott and Moses Hernandez McGavin
Anti-trans politicians want struggling people to blame trans folks for their problems. But we’re allies in the fight against hardships we know all too well.
Christian Congregations Are Standing Up to Cruelty. Why Won’t Politicians? | Peter Montgomery
The Trump team has attacked bishops, Lutheran social service organizations, and other faith communities simply for following their social gospel.
Garment Workers Are Taking on Nike. Americans Should Support Them. | Abiramy Sivalogananthan
The company continues to exploit workers in the Global South as it reels in billions, creating a “race to the bottom” that hurts all workers.
