(DailyVantage.com) – Federal employees are reportedly grappling with anxiety and fear over President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with some describing their concerns as akin to “PTSD” from his previous administration. CNN correspondent René Marsh reported widespread apprehension among government workers, many of whom anticipate significant upheavals under Trump’s leadership. Key concerns include potential mass terminations and structural changes to the federal workforce.
One federal employee described the mood as a “dystopian hellscape,” emphasizing the sense of dread among the approximately two million federal workers bracing for Trump’s policies. A significant source of their concern is Trump’s plan to reinstate Schedule F, an executive order from his first term that was later rescinded by President Biden. The order would reclassify tens of thousands of federal employees as at-will workers, making them easier to dismiss. Critics argue that this could open the door to removing employees seen as disloyal and replacing them with politically aligned individuals.
Ronald Sanders, a former Trump appointee, warned that reinstating Schedule F could undermine the nonpartisan nature of the civil service. “The objective is to create space to put loyalists in what are still career civil service positions,” Sanders explained, raising concerns about the erosion of government impartiality.
The unease extends across multiple federal agencies. At the Department of Energy, employees report a “general feeling of dread,” while at the Environmental Protection Agency, staffers are openly discussing whether they can endure another Trump term. Yahoo News noted that these conversations reflect growing apprehension about the potential reshaping of the federal workforce.
In response to such concerns, the Biden administration implemented measures earlier this year to protect federal workers. The Office of Personnel Management introduced rules making it more difficult for future administrations to reclassify career civil servants into at-will positions, a move President Biden described as a safeguard against “corruption and partisan interference.”
Despite these efforts, Trump’s rhetoric and plans for overhauling the federal workforce continue to spark debates about the balance of power in government and the role of civil servants. As his second term approaches, many federal employees face an uncertain future, caught between fears of political interference and the potential restructuring of their roles in public service.
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