McBride, federal workers blast plans by Musk, administration to slash public services
AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride and hundreds of public service workers rallied near the U.S. Capitol to protest the administration’s efforts to destroy the federal government and slash its workforce.
Joining them at the Tuesday rally to strike a defiant note of solidarity were members of AFSCME and other AFL-CIO unions and a host of pro-worker lawmakers.
They blasted the actions of President Donald Trump and billionaires in cahoots with him, especially Trump adviser Elon Musk. They held signs that read, “Save the country, save the civil service,” “No one voted for Elon Musk” and “The whole world is watching.”
“If Elon Musk and the billionaires get their way, more Americans are going to get sick. They’re going to sink into poverty. Their highways and bridges are going to crumble. And more workers will be in harm’s way because federal workers prevent death and disease and disaster,” McBride said to cheers. “When you mess with any of us, you mess with all of us.”
These efforts by Musk and his rich buddies are straight out of Project 2025. These billionaires aren’t interested in making the government more efficient despite their rhetoric. They want to slash public services to give themselves trillions of dollars in tax cuts.
AFSCME represents workers in several federal agencies. Those include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps and Voice of America. Their jobs and the services they provide are in jeopardy.
The administration has offered buyouts to all federal workers. AFSCME and our sister union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), sued to block this illegal move. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the buyout scheme, a ruling AFSCME welcomes.
Our union also strongly opposes Trump’s latest executive order issued Tuesday. It directs Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to broadly slash the federal workforce.
“It is unsurprising that an administration run by billionaires is eliminating oversight and firing dedicated federal workers,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in a statement. “They know federal workers protect the public against corporate abuse and won’t allow them to use taxpayer dollars as their own personal slush fund.”
The best way for public service workers to fight this administration’s blizzard of anti-worker actions is to Get Organized.