Donald #Trump and Elon #Musk have decided to do clean sweep of federal bureaucracy, with the #Doge, the Department for Government Efficiency led by the owner of #Tesla, the life of federal employees has become a nightmare: rapid cuts, forced furloughs, and now even the humiliation of cleaning bathrooms and picking up trash.
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Washington, March 31, 2025 – Far from comfortable smart working from home, here we go back to the office with a kick in the ass, and those who don't adapt can also pack their bags. Trump and Musk don't care about anyone: fewer government employees, more efficiency, and who cares if someone loses their job!
No more privileges: back to the office, and to cleaning!
Trump signed an executive order that shook employees of 18 federal agencies, from the Department of Defense to the Department of Health: no more collective bargaining rights, no more union agreements, and everyone back to the office, no excuses! No more working from home, even for those whose contracts allowed it.
The return? Total chaos: some found themselves without a desk, some had to work sitting on the floor, and some were given absurd tasks, like cleaning bathrooms or picking up trash. At the Federal Aviation Administration, lead was found in the tap water, and some offices even ran out of toilet paper. Far from “efficiency,” this is a bottom-of-the-barrel situation, and federal employees are the first to pay the price.
Musk and Trump Take No Prisoners: Either You Comply or You're Out
Musk’s plan is clear: mass layoffs, rehiring only those who bend, and a good kick to those who don’t. “Many will not show up for work, and our government will be leaner and more efficient,” Trump said, with that grin that drives his fans crazy. And he’s right: with Biden, federal employees were comfortable at home for half the week, but now the tune is different.
A VA doctor who had been working remotely for two years found himself a janitor: setting up workstations, scheduling, finding equipment. None of this was his job! And a Forest Service employee who was hired to work from home now has to find a desk in a federal office within 50 miles of her home, even though she continues to work online. The wireless signal? It sucks, and communication is a struggle.
Absurd Situations: Lead Water and No Toilet Paper
The New York Times has collected chilling testimonies. An employee of the Internal Revenue Service had to choose: either go to an office with no space, or work from home in violation of the rules. Another spent his first day back sitting on the floor because his workstation was gone.
And then there are those at the Department of Energy who have to move to Washington by May 5, even though they live thousands of miles away, not knowing if they will be fired in the next round of cuts. In many offices, they have even cut basic expenses: no toilet paper, no dignity. Trump wants workers to return to work to “check that they are really working,” but under these conditions he is only pushing everyone to quit. And maybe that is exactly what he wants.
Usip under attack: layoffs and chaos
The latest victim of the Doge is the US Institute of Peace (Usip) in Washington, an organization that deals with conflict mediation and peace negotiations, even in hot spots like Ukraine. Musk has had no mercy: between 200 and 300 employees of the main office have been fired, as reported by the Washington Post.
The 600 employees abroad are safe for now, but the damage is done: the sudden layoffs will have an immediate impact on the conflict zones. And while workers live in fear of losing their jobs, they can no longer reconcile work and private life: no more smart working, no more flexibility to pick up their children from school. It's chaos, but Trump and Musk don't care: their goal is to streamline, and if someone loses out, so be it.
Trump and Musk, the revolutionaries who don't stop
While federal workers mourn, Trump and Musk bulldoze ahead. Their “disruptive overhaul” of the federal workforce includes layoffs, forced rehiring, and spending freezes. The New York Times says there’s nothing efficient about this chaos, but the goal is clear: less bureaucracy, fewer government workers, more control. And if workers can’t cope, they can make do: either they comply or they’re out.
Article published on 1 April 2025 - 15:40
