DOGE dismantles the job security of federal work
DOGE-led mass firings of federal employees are tearing at the promise of job security that's come with government work for more than a century.
Why it matters: Millions of federal workers are now feeling the same kind of job anxiety more familiar to those in corporate America, including the tech sector, where Elon Musk's firing playbook is far more common.
What they're saying: "This is not the same government it was a month ago," a longtime federal employee told Axios, requesting anonymity because they've accepted the administration's "deferred resignation" offer and don't want to jeopardize it.
"The mentality that federal workers have — that their jobs are protected — none of that exists anymore," they said.
Yes, but: The White House said it's within its rights to fire probationary workers, who don't have the same kinds of protections as longer-term employees.
"The probationary period is a continuation of the job application process, not an entitlement for permanent employment," per policy guidelines shared by an administration official.
"Agencies are taking independent action in line with the recent hiring freeze and the President's broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government," per the guidance, which notes agencies should focus on retaining the highest-performing employees.
Not all workers who've been fired were probationary, including those at USAID and terminated inspectors general.
Others had previously received strong performance reviews but were told they were being fired for performance reasons anyway.
Zoom out: To understand why civil service jobs differ from private sector jobs, you need to go back to the 19th century, when the U.S. government was staffed by a " spoils system" in which people were hired based on connections or even because they paid for the job.
After President Garfield was assassinated in 1881 by a man who was upset he didn't get a government gig, Congress enacted a civil service law called the Pendleton Act, to ensure folks were hired based on merit and skill.
Today, most federal jobs are handled in this system. Only a few thousand positions are held by political appointees.
How it works: Government workers have a lot more job protections than those in the private sector.
A provision in federal law states that government workers can't be discriminated against based on their political activity.
Layoffs aren't supposed to be random, and there's a process that's supposed to determine who is fired first.
Job listings must be posted, including those involving promotions, so everyone has a chance to apply and be judged by an impartial panel.
Pay scales are public, and that's why for years gender and racial pay gaps in the federal government have been lower than in the private sector.
By the numbers: Federal workers also have far more union protections. 30% of public sector federal government employees are represented by unions, compared to 7% in the private sector, according to federal data.
All of this "gives people a lot of security to work hard, do their jobs and not worry about playing personality politics," said David Super, a professor at Georgetown Law, whose research focuses on administrative law.
For the record: "President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring about unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud, and abuse," White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said in a statement.
"This isn't easy to do in a broken system entrenched in bureaucracy and bloat, but it's a task long overdue."
The bottom line: Until recently, taking a job with the federal government meant accepting lower pay in order to reap the rewards of job security.
Now the rewards haven't changed, but the risks are skyrocketing.
Are you a federal employee with a tip? You can reach Emily Peck confidentially on Signal @emilyrpeck.71.
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