(Image: Alex Garland/CHS)
A crowd two to three thousand strong gathered around Seattle’s Federal Building Monday for a Presidents’ Day demonstration in support of federal workers caught up in the Trump administration’s ruthless attempts to shrink the government.
Some 10,000 federal workers across agencies including the CDC, FAA, EPA, and IRS have already been let go with threats of more to follow.
In Seattle, the “Save Our Civil Service” rally included local federal employees who have been part of the cuts from from departments including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Veterans Administration, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The downtown demonstration on 2nd Ave was part of a holiday Monday of protest in the city including a gathering in Cal Anderson Park. Daytime crowds did not block traffic and no clashes with police or arrests were reported.
While the courts have blocked many of President Trump’s executive orders, other efforts like the so-called “cost reduction” plans behind the layoffs have moved forward nearly unimpeded though unions representing some of the workers have sued to stop the cuts.
Many of those being let go are employees on probationary status. The Trump administration will face much larger challenges if it pursues more widespread layoffs.
Meanwhile, 10,000 USAID employees remain on “administrative leave.”
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I feel bad for anyone who’s lost their job. And then I see the signs calling people Nazis and become a lot less sympathetic.
We need major reforms in this country. The polling shows majority support for what DOGE is doing.
What DOGE is doing is illegal and is causing lots of harm in the US and around the world, but that’s the point… Reform would mean a democratic process that involves voters electing leaders, not the wealthy buying politicians and elections, this is designed to continue to break government like the Republican party has done for decades for their own gain at the expense of us all.
Oh my god, are you an election denier?
Ummm…Musk was not elected.
Nope, this last election was just the classic voter suppression tactics compounded with Democrats inability to call a genocide a genocide.
It’s a clickbait title, but there’s a good summary of the voter suppression tactics this election here: https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/
I doubt that very much. Yes, Americans are in support of eliminating waste and fraud in government, but only the maga poeple support the illegal way that DOGE is trying to do it, led by an unelected billionaire and an autocratic President.
Thank you Zach for standing up to this! I know we disagree about a whole lot, but at least we can agree on this.
seriously? did you not see the Nazi salutes? Hear any dog whistles?
That is not true lol
The problem is that the blind DOGE “reforms” are being followed up with tax cuts on the wealthy and a $4 trillion dollar debt ceiling limit proposal by the congressional Oompa Loompa wannabes. A complete fiscal policy failure from “fiscal conservatives” that will surely make us “great again”.
Enjoy melamine and ethylene glycol in your food now that the FDA is disbanded…for reasons.
I love this!
Now if only there was a way to convert this people-power to actual power (or are we here just to wave witty protest signs and chill with other white liberals)?