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To the Editor:

Is there any waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government? Undoubtedly. Look no further than the myriad government contracts, especially with the Department of Defense, which are intended to bring in experts to address a specific issue or need but somehow find a way to continue to exist in perpetuity.

However, the question we need to face is not whether there is waste, fraud or abuse in government, but, rather, are the efforts to dismantle the federal government intended to root out waste, fraud and abuse? The answer to that question is an unequivocal no. How do we know that? Because if it were, one of the first steps of the new administration would not have been to fire the slate of inspectors general whose sole responsibility is to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the government agencies they oversee. Nor would there have been a focus on firing government employees with probationary status since those employees have not been in their present positions long enough to have committed any extensive waste, fraud or abuse.

Additionally, there was no need to establish the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), because there is already an agency that exists to do that. The Government Accounting Office (gao.gov) examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and reports to Congress with objective, non-partisan, fact-based information to help the government save money and work more efficiently.

So, let’s set the record straight. The reason behind the attempts to remove so many career employees and the experience they have gained over their years of service is found in Project 2025 and Schedule F, the policy now called Schedule Policy/Career. Schedule P/C calls for replacing some 50,000 or more career federal employees with political appointees. Why, you ask? Clearly, stocking the federal government with political appointees makes it easier to circumvent the rules and regulations that some elements of the business community find so problematic.

So, who, then, are the victims of the government-wide effort to dismantle so many federal agencies? Certainly those federal employees who lost their jobs or those who may have kept their jobs but whose benefits are being threatened. So too are federal retirees whose benefits are constantly at risk since they fall under discretionary spending.

What too many Americans do not yet realize is that everyone is a potential victim of the dismantling of our government. With the across-the-board cuts to agency staff, many of the government services we all rely on are being threatened. Remember, the goal of business may be to make a profit, but the goal of government is to provide services. The food safety inspectors who inspect our food, the rules in place to ensure safe drinking water and clean air, the delivery of our mail and at an affordable price, our reliance on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help us prepare for oncoming weather events before they hit us, the Social Security Administration issuing checks in a timely manner, the air traffic controllers who manage the safety of incoming and outgoing flights, and so many more too numerous to list are all at risk of diminished effectiveness with drastically reduced staffs.

So, what can you do about it? Raise your voice to your elected officials. Tell your friends and neighbors in other states to do the same because of what is at stake for them as well as for you. Don’t wait until irreparable harm has been done.

Did you know that some 80% of federal agency staff can be found outside of the Washington DC area? More than 120,000 are in our state of North Carolina. They are in your community – your neighbors and friends. Everyone from sea to shining sea will to some extent be impacted by this chainsaw to our federal government. Every state needs to be made aware that no one is “immune” to the damage being done.

Some states have taken steps by passing laws to Protect Our Federal Workers Act this past legislative session. Where are our senators and congressmen?

Lastly, I want to pull back the curtain on the claim that the federal government is “bloated.” As of Jan. 20, 2025, there were fewer federal employees than there were when the population of the country was two-thirds of what it is today. Automation contributed greatly to reducing the federal workforce. Let’s continue to streamline to make the government more efficient, not less.

Claire McCullough

Kill Devil Hills

McCullough is a member of National Active and Retired Federal Employees, a nonprofit association.

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