Embattled Federal Employees Look to a Democratic Congress for a Lifeline

The New York Times ^ | November 15, 2026 | Eileen Sullivan

[MinorityRepublican]

Since the start of his second term, President Trump has gone after the federal work force, shearing 17 percent of employees, stripping away centuries of experience in medicine, law and science, and politicizing jobs meant to be nonpartisan.

Embattled current and former workers are now looking to Democrats, newly empowered after the Republican rout in the midterm elections, for help.

But the sweeping Democratic victories came with competing ideas for change, starting with issues like affordability, health care and the war in Iran. That could mean that any reversal of Mr. Trump’s cuts may have to wait.

Then there is the reality that a Democratic-led Congress is only going to be able to do so much while Mr. Trump is still in the White House.

“We’re playing a long game here while we’re trying to prevent and undo as much damage as possible in the short term,” said Representative James Walkinshaw, a Democrat from a Northern Virginia district that is home to many current and former federal workers. Mr. Walkinshaw, who helped create the Congressional Federal Workforce Caucus earlier this year, said he expected the Trump administration to continue its attacks on the federal work force.

“But now we have some constitutional and legal authority to push back,” he said.

Current and former federal workers have been waiting 20 months for this moment. More than 389,000 employees left the government last year, a mix of people who were fired or pressured to leave, according to government data. The Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Interior and Treasury Departments suffered some of the biggest hits.

The White House has defended Mr. Trump’s cuts, and has said that the government is leaner and more efficient, an argument that former and current workers dispute.

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TOPICS: Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

[VAFreedom]

i bet you they will hire everyone of those ex-gov workers back, unless they were the veterans.

[VanShuyten]

“… stripping away centuries of experience…”

380,000 gone, so that works out to about 1 day’s experience per employee. That sounds about right.

[MinorityRepublican]

i bet you they will hire everyone of those ex-gov workers back, unless they were the veterans.

Rehire and they'll all work for USAID. They will elevate USAID into a Cabinet Department.

[BradyLS]

Are they still doing the one day a month thing? It don’t get much cushier than that!

[BradyLS]

“… stripping away centuries of experience…”

…at slacking off.

[kaktuskid]

The Federal Government is not an employment agency.

[FLT-bird]

“Centuries of experience”.....ie a bunch of useless leeches. Has service gotten any worse?....I mean for things the public actually wants and is willing to pay for?

I just wish Trump had canned more of them sooner - though I understand why its politically easier to steadily trim so as to avoid driving unemployment rates up dramatically. The number of useless leeches on the federal payroll has not been slashed anywhere near enough yet.

[Gnome1949]

These were the morons who sat on their lazy butts and let billions be stolen from the U.S. Treasury to the extent that elimination of the monumental fraud of federal dollars CAN actually BALANCE THE BUDGET.

They got fired which is EXACTLY WHAT THEY DESERVED for their sloth, accessory to runaway theft and incompetence.

Those worthless, federal slackers need to be KEPT AWAY FROM FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT PERMANENTLY.

Those who got fired NEED TO STAY FIRED ! !

[XRdsRev]

When you get rid of people who know what they are doing, don’t be surprised when things start to come undone. Maybe it is no big deal in some things but it is a big deal for the military who relies on the civilian workforce to procure, configure, store, issue and repair most of their equipment.

[Vaduz]

Check