Trump is waging war against his own government

Washington – Less than two weeks after his mandate, President Donald Trump is fighting a war against his own government, creating a deep sense of fear in the Federal Labor Force, and the beneficiaries of federal aid, while trying the limits of his power to alter the scope, function and non -partisan nature of the Government without Congress.

Mainly using two little -known agencies, the Office of Administration and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management, Trump has tried to drown the financing for a wide range of national and foreign assistance programs, facilitated the farewell of tens of thousands of federal workers . , and launched a campaign to press more to give up their publications.

Two federal judges have blocked the freezing of domestic spending and, in the face of public protest, Trump rescind the courts and the president.

In conversations with NBC News, almost two dozen federal workers described a climate of fear, confusion, skepticism and anger towards federal agencies in the last two weeks. Several public officials described the feeling that they were being tracked and actively monitored in a foreign way before Trump’s return.

At a time when the trust of Americans in the government has been eroding for decades, the vast majority say that they do not trust that Washington will always do the right or most of the time in Gallup surveys, Trump is putting into action Republican opinions of long data on how to shrink and restructure the federal footprint. But critics say that bringing an ideological sled to the government will make it less effective, less efficient and less protected from partisan influence.

About 60 employees of the US agency for international development were placed on administrative license after Trump issued orders freezing funds for global help programs, and their assistants are in active discussions about the folding unilaterally The agency to the State Department, a movement that critics cannot do without Congress that promulgates a law. The agency’s website darkened on Saturday.

“The idea of ​​organization behind what they are doing is that Trump wants to be king,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-MD. “He doesn’t want to be responsible before the law, and the American people are being injured.”

Van Hollen added that Trump’s actions could make it difficult for the president to collect sufficient votes to avoid a government closure within six weeks.

“It also raises the question about whether we can proceed in good faith” to a expenditure measure, “he said.” I mean, we go through these negotiations to obtain a commitment, but President Cherry chooses what he likes and discards the rest. “

Trump’s allies in Congress, such as the first year student Jim Banks, a Republican of Indians, say that the president is simply fulfilling his campaign promises.

“The American people voted overly for President Trump in part due to their promise to eliminate government waste and return common sense to the White House,” Banks said in a statement to NBC News. “With a national debt of $ 36 billion, I welcome your administration working to ensure that each tax dollar is responsible in the agenda that promised.”

Everything is equivalent to a high -risk commitment that the public will reward Trump and Republicans for a cutting and burning approach to form the federal government again, even if it takes money from the voters’ pockets or the functions of the state and local government. they trust. The person who faces the least risk is Trump, who is not constitutionally eligible to run for re -election, the president’s allies say.

“Until now, the approach has been phenomenal,” said a republican operation.

But the operation said they housed “some concern” for Friday’s dismissal of the six main FBI officials, suggesting that it can be more problematic for Trump and their administration abroad than within the government.

“When it comes to reaction, [Trump] I really shouldn’t care, “said this person.” He is not running again and thinning the size of the federal workforce is part of his mandate, he will ultimately will live up [Vice President] JD [Vance] [and] Current holders defend the actions of this administration if there is a reaction in the future. “

In some cases, Trump is not waiting for wear. In addition to dismissing the FBI leaders, he fired up to two dozen prosecutors from the Department of Justice who worked in cases of “Capitol Siege”, those who involved the defendants of January 6 attack against Congress. Trump forgave most people convicted of crimes related to January 6 and commuted the sentences of others.

Federal workers have been informed to face “adverse consequences” if they do not report on colleagues whose work touches “diversity, equity and inclusion”, and, citing “common sense” instead of evidence, Trump blamed a fatal in the Aire the collision between a regional commercial plane and a military helicopter in “Dei” hires the Federal Aviation Administration.

The president’s words and actions are equivalent to a large -scale effort to demoralize and intimidate the workforce, some of the federal employees who spoke with NBC News say.

Trump has trained billionaire Elon Musk, the voluntary chief of the Government Efficiency Department and his allies to offer “purchases” that would pay federal public officials until September in exchange for their resignations. The workers have received almost daily communications on the “Deferred Resignation” option directly from OPM and the agency’s personnel at the instances of OPM.

On Wednesday, the employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were reminded in an email that can be fired at any time if they have worked for the government for less than a year.

“If you want the government to work, it would not be attacking federal employees daily with the psychological war,” said a very time manager in the federal government. “You want them to appear motivated. This is not the way to do it. “

Noah Peters, an OPM main advisor, who was the only individual copied by name in an email to the agency’s human resources directors on the Deferred Resignation Program, did not answer a series of NBC News questions.

A USAID official said that colleagues were “outlined” by the new OPM email system that apparently allows the Federal Agency to directly contact all federal employees.

“All OPM communication used to go directly through the agency and then the agencies would disperse,” said this person. “Many people are a little outlined by that, because that had never happened before. And then it’s like, are you trying to control me? Are you trying to monitor my access? What are you trying to do?

This person added that, although they agreed that the federal government needs a change, trying to force massive changes and interruptions, the civil service will not improve so quickly.

“Change takes time,” said this person. “There could be positive effects if this was done intelligently. And many people would welcome. But this is just fear. Is nothing more than [being] intimidating … This is not how it works. I mean, if you are Elon Musk, it works that way. But this is not how it works in the government. “

In the United States forest service, a civil official said that a high-up told them in response to their questions and concerns about changing directives to simply maintain a low profile.

This person “told me that, yes [they] In my place, the best thing for me would be to leave bass, keep my head down and do my job, ”said forest service employee. “What I can understand, however, it is not really a great answer.”

Republicans said there was little risk in Trump’s actions, given that civil officials are considered unfriendly with the broadest population, while the president does not have to look for a position again and face any possible personally setback from the electorate.

“Not to be GLIB, but I think his goal is exactly what he said is: drain the swamp,” said a Trump ally. “Literally, clean the house of the bureaucrats of the race that are there. I think the risk is low, very low. “

“Any service interruption will be related to direct payments to people and that is mainly automated,” added this person. “And if we are reducing the amount of money spent that is essentially the waste of transfer payments, I am not sure that many feel it.”

Representative Riley Moore, Rw.va., said that Trump’s effort to reorient the Federal Labor Force is to align him directly with the worldview of his movement and movement.

“What President Trump seeks to do is maximize the efficiency and results for the US taxpayer and his tax dollars that are spent to support our company with essential security and services,” said Moore. “At the same time, the President seeks to correct the statement of the mission and the guiding principles of these departments and agencies to reorient them to an orthodoxy of America First.”

But Neera Tanden, who was the internal policy advisor of President Joe Biden, said there is a tension between the anti -government crusaders in the Trump circle and the voters who put him on top in November. That was reflected in the reaction that he obtained from the OMB note, which was interpreted by many officials, legislators and federal help beneficiaries to require a break in financing grants for everything, from local firefighters departments and police programs to centers Community health.

“The fundamental challenge for their coalition is that their working -class and libertarian multimillionaire, and are in direct conflict,” said Tanden. “I don’t think all those white working and Latin working class who voted for him are like ‘Do you know what? I really want to lose my medical attention. ‘”

It remains to see if Trump can hinder the federal workforce and reduce billions of the budget without damaging their own voters, and the Republicans who represent them in Congress, remain to be seen.

Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, told NBC News that Trump can do exactly that.

“President Trump received a resounding mandate to rationalize our gigantic government to better meet the needs of the US people,” Desai said. “It will use each lever of the Executive and Legislative Power to deliver.”




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