Citizens and Federal Employees Protest Against Elon Musk and President Trump
By Marlene Orantes
(Photo Credit: Common Dreams)
Protesters have come out to the streets of Washington D.C. in the first two months of President Donald Trump’s second term, and more recently federal workers protesting the employee cuts imposed by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon Musk, head of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, has been adamant on cutting government spending to save taxpayer money and reduce government spending. Through DOGE’s actions, federal workers have been receiving emails informing them that they are fired and/or steps to not get fired, similar to Musk’s strategy when he took over Twitter. These federal workers are said to be , though some are getting fired without proper evaluation.
Joining these federal workers have been Congressmen and Congresswomen, including Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. These first began on Feb. 3 when Musk and Trump decided to immediately shut down the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, according to NBC News.
On Feb. 25 in Capitol Hill, there were various federal employee protests, including one at the Health and Human Resources building. Many of them are angered by the cut of federal employees, but also the cut of research funds. Research funds have also been cut for public and private universities, including George Washington University.
Non-federal workers are also protesting President Trump’s executive orders and his administration. Most recently, on President’s Day there was a protest in Washington, but also across the nation at other major cities to express their concerns on the president’s administration and actions. Many of them, along with the federal employees, believe the president is only working with and for billionaires like Elon Musk due to all the cuts they are making.
The cuts that DOGE are making not only impact federal employees, but also everyday American citizens. One of the major proposed cuts is Medicaid, which provides health insurance at a low, or no cost, to low-income citizens. Along with those cuts, protests have been followed by executive orders on radical immigration policies, tariffs that increase prices, ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and much more.
There is uncertainty whether these protests will be able to sway what lawmakers and government officials have planned to do, as well as if these protests will cease to continue.