The Deep State diaspora will begin in January, according to President-elect Donald Trump.
In March 2023, Trump posted his intent to move federal jobs out of Washington, D.C. among a list of other promises regarding the dismantling of federal bureaucracy.
“Continue Trump administration effort to move parts of the federal bureaucracy outside of the Washington Swamp, just like President Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management to Colorado,” the Trump campaign wrote.
“Up to 100,000 government positions could be moved out of Washington,” the statement said.
“As many as 100,000 government positions can be moved out — and I mean immediately out — of Washington to places filled with patriots who love America,” Trump said in a video breaking down his agenda.
Watch:
Trump 2.0 just dropped his 10 point plan to kill the deep state. This includes term limits for Congress.
They’ve all been exposed and now he’s coming after them. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/miE7biXS5X— Chris Randolph (@TrumpAF2024) November 8, 2024
The Federal News Network noted that when Trump moved BLM (Bureau of Land Management) jobs, more than 80 percent of those who held those jobs did not leave D.C.
Trump has tried to reform the federal workforce before.
Just before the 2020 election, Trump issued an executive order to create what was called “Schedule F,” which would reclassify the jobs of middle managers in the federal workforce.
Former White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said then that Trump’s 2020 executive order was designed to remove “people in the bowels of the federal government working against this president” who pursued “their own selfish political agenda,” according to the Independent.
“It’s not a secret that we want people in positions that work with this president, not against him, and too often we have people in this government — I mean the federal government is massive, with millions of people — and there are a lot people out there taking action against this president and when we find them we will take appropriate action,” he said in October 2020.
A report in WUSA-TV estimates that however the concept of Schedule F morphs in a new administration, it might cover at least 50,000 workers.
“And to think 50,000 is the magic number is absurd because number one, that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal employees.
“Our union members are very worried about that,” he said.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said he is opposed to any workforce cuts, according to Virginia Business.
“My message to federal workers is I will be there to protect them, to protect their professionalism, to protect their careers,” Warner said.
“The idea is, well, Donald Trump claims to be a good businessperson. If he is, he would recognize that by moving federal workers all over the country, you’d lose vast amounts of experience, vast amounts of folks who know their jobs and do their jobs for Democratic or Republican administrations,” he said.
