As part of the right-wing offensive he launched in his first days as president, Donald Trump signed an executive order to freeze hiring of any new federal employees. It was another in a slew of orders signed by Trump in his first week in office that amount to a clear and swift attack on the working class.
As Trump signed the executive order on Monday, January 23rd, all hiring for new and existing positions except those in “national security”, the military and public safety were halted. The order effectively put the brakes on thousands of job openings that were in the process of being filled.
President of the Association of Federal Government Employees J. David Cox Sr. said in response to the order:
“President Trump’s action will disrupt government programs and services that benefit everyone and actually increase taxpayer costs by forcing agencies to hire more expensive contractors to do work that civilian government employees are already doing for far less … This hiring freeze will mean longer lines at Social Security offices, fewer workplace safety inspections, less oversight of environmental polluters, and greater risk to our nation’s food supply and clean water systems.”
The freeze was part of Trump’s so-called “Contract with the American Voter” plan, which he claimed was done to address and assess the federal budget and was done in part to reduce the size of government. In reality, it denies jobs to countless workers and throws public services into disarray. For example, 560 job openings at Madigan Army Medical Center are now suspended. The order will also create longer waits at government offices and less oversight and safety regulations in federal workplaces and businesses that are subject to government inspection, such as restaurants and environmental polluters.
The particular order was also signed the same day that Trump announced that he wants to cut regulations on large corporations, many of which are environmental polluters, by 75 percent or “maybe more.” Trump claimed that federal regulations had “gotten out of control” and stated, “We’re going to be cutting regulation massively.” There are also plans to roll back environmental protections and pull out of the Paris climate accords.
All of this adds up to an extremely dangerous situation. Not only will these measures create unemployment, but also work to hamper the provision of vital social services while increasing climate change and the threat of global catastrophe. By stripping away what little global warming and climate change regulation exists, Trump is attempting to sign a death warrant for the planet.
The fundamental issue is not the “size” of the government, but who it serves. Trump is not targeting the core institutions of the capitalist state – like the military or the prisons – for downsizing, but the few parts that administer services for poor and working people. These programs were won over decades of struggle.
With every vile executive order that Trump signed last week, there has been an outpouring of protests and demonstrations. The people will continue to fight back against any and all such measures and work to build a movement against the capitalist system.
