MSNBC: Civil Servants Fear Mass-Firings Under Trump

Steele: “So, here’s the deal. It takes millions of federal workers across hundreds of departments to ensure the U.S. Government runs smoothly. Y’all know how that goes, right? Most of these workers are not politicians seeking another term. They are not partisans looking for the approval of a political wing. Folks, they are everyday Americans working for a paycheck. My daddy was one of those workers. I know firsthand. Soon-to-be President Donald Trump refers to them as the deep state. And beginning on January 20th, he vows to fire thousands of these hard-working Americans, replacing them with loyalists willing to push the boundaries of the executive Branch to the very breaking point. The New York Times reports that thousands of federal workers are bracing for Trump to revive an executive order from late in his first term. This order would classify them as at-will employees, making them easier to fire and replace with his political stooges. Joining us now is Democratic Congressman and Homeland Security Committee member Eric Swalwell from California, and former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Mike Pence, our friend Olivia Troye.”
Sanders-TOWNSEND: “I think that, congressmen, people, when they hear Michael read this, there are some people that might suggest we are being a little dramatic, that this is actually not the plan or the policy because it seems ridiculous. What say you?”
Swalwell: “Well, Donald Trump is not that bright. You could roll dice and get a number higher than his IQ most of the time. So, if he’s going to implement Trump’s Project 2025, he’s going to need loyalists who are going to execute on the plan. He can’t do it himself. He’s a me, me, me guy. He just wants to avoid jail. He likes, like, the trappings of the presidency, so he’s going to need to put in place Musk, RFK Jr., Grenell, these other rogues’ gallery-like individuals. So that’s actually where the fight is going to be. And I understand people are upset or grieving, they can’t believe this happened, but we need to get back on the field because over the next six to eight weeks, that’s when these nominations are going to happen, and that’s where these senators, some of them like Collins and Tillis, who are going to be up in ’26, will have real decisions to make. And if we are just feeling sorry for ourselves and not telling the voters, ‘Hey, your kids’ vaccines? Gone if RFK Jr. Is in,’ then we are doing a disservice to the child we have right now. So, yes, he is not himself capable of doing this, but the minions that he wants to put in, they are just chomping at the bit to do it.”
Sanders-TOWNSEND: “But you think this is a real policy? Because I think it’s a real policy.”
Swalwell: “Yes.”
Sanders-TOWNSEND: “Okay.”
MENENDEZ: “Olivia, I want to read a little bit from your piece on MSNBC. You write, ‘As Trump consolidates more power in the executive Branch, corporate allies like Elon Musk will thrive, creating an American oligarchy that blurs the line between public service and private gain. For people like me, government workers denigrated by Trump as ‘deep state,’ there will likely be thousands of lost jobs. And what if there are prosecutions of those of us courageous enough to stand up and tell the truth about him? Justice will no longer be blind.’ Your biggest concern, Olivia?”
TROYE: “Yeah, I think — you know, I think we are entering an era where everything will be politicized. My biggest concern right now is for the public servants that are trying to brace themselves for what is to come, especially in the national security community. And we’re seeing it now, we’re seeing what’s happening at the Department of Defense right now, they’re preparing for what’s gonna happen in the changes of the ranks in the senior leadership. There’s warnings going out to the civilian workforce saying, ‘Stay the course. Do not get engaged in politics.’ But I will say this. I mean, I lived this firsthand when Schedule F was showing up. I was there in 2020 when they started purging people off the National Security Council and replacing them with loyalists. They were getting rid of national security experts across the board. And I guess my greatest fear is that it really is going to impact national security as a whole here in our country when you get rid of the expertise that’s there and you replace it with people that are loyalists across the board.”