Let’s chat about smaller government, and bigger damage for a moment… The 47th President’s war on workers, educators, and civil servants isn’t about efficiency but eliminating resistance. Since returning to the office in January 2025, the 47th President has launched a sweeping effort to dismantle the very foundations of American civil society. The stated rationale is “efficiency,” but the real aim appears far more destructive. In just six months, this administration has targeted three pillars of our democracy: the federal workforce, higher education institutions, and labor unions.
The attack on the federal workforce has been both sweeping and ruthless. According to Reuters and The Guardian (July 2025), over 280,000 federal employees have been laid off across 27 agencies, while another 260,000 have left voluntarily, often out of fear of what was coming. The newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leads this effort, which was established by executive order on Inauguration Day and funded with $40 million. DOGE’s mandate is clear: automate job cuts, gut public services, and remove anyone not deemed essential to a new, leaner federal machine (The Guardian, July 8, 2025; Wikipedia, “Department of Government Efficiency”).
Agencies are being hollowed out. On March 28, USAID was absorbed into the State Department, and 94 percent of its staff were dismissed. By July, 83 percent of its international development programs had been canceled (Time Magazine; Wikipedia, “United States Agency for International Development”). The Department of Health and Human Services was reorganized into the “Administration for a Healthy America,” a move that eliminated more than 20,000 staff and shut down critical public health programs (Wikipedia, “2025 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Reorganization”).
The Department of Education has faced a similar fate. With Supreme Court approval in July 2025, mass layoffs commenced. Thousands of positions were eliminated, and the administration has made its long-term goal clear: dismantling public education in favor of private models (Associated Press, July 10, 2025).
At the same time, higher education is under siege. Executive Order 14151, signed on Day One, banned all federal support for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs (Wikipedia, “Executive Order 14151”). Public universities have seen grants revoked and programs shuttered, particularly those focused on climate science, social justice, and public health. Time Magazine reported that institutions hosting labor events or publishing critical research are being targeted with audits and funding cuts. Academic freedom is being replaced by political intimidation.
Organized labor has also been directly attacked. Federal employee unions have had their rights stripped, including their ability to meet with members or negotiate contracts. Locals at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education, and even the National Institutes of Health have been decertified (Reuters, July 2025).
In the private sector, federal agencies have been instructed to review and often cancel Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). According to The Guardian (July 13, 2025), infrastructure funding is being redirected to states with anti-union laws, effectively punishing pro-labor states. Meanwhile, worker protection enforcement has collapsed. The National Labor Relations Board and OSHA have frozen budgets, and layoffs have decimated both agencies (Reuters, July 11, 2025; Wikipedia, “2025 United States Federal Mass Layoffs”).
These actions do not reflect a serious effort to reduce waste. They reflect a broader mission: silence dissent, eliminate institutions that challenge authority, and consolidate power. DOGE claims to have saved $190 billion, but the human and democratic costs are staggering. Services have been halted, programs have disappeared, and entire communities have been left without support.
What connects these assaults on government workers, teachers, and unions is the desire to eliminate organized resistance. It is no coincidence that the people most affected are those with the power to speak out, organize, and push back.
But history tells us that repression does not erase purpose. Workers will regroup, scholars will speak, and public servants will serve. The 47th President may believe he is building a legacy, but what he is doing is burning the blueprint of a just and functional democracy.
We will be left to rebuild—and we must begin now.
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