I've Got a Message and You're Not Going to Like It
So, it’s begun.
I’ve activated payments (pay what you want/can; upgrading triggers no charge) on the newsletter in advance of the possible, perhaps inevitable loss of my job of almost 10 years with the federal government.
I’ve always been circumspect about sharing what I do for work, but the times are dire so, here goes: I work with the Social Security Administration doing document accessibility testing. This work ensures that people with disabilities can access the same information other employees or beneficiaries do. This can include internal and front-facing webpages, notices mailed to beneficiaries (often accompanied by an audio version, if requested), and ensuring that disabled people are a presence in our workplaces and everyday lives. It should go without saying that it’s vital, important work.
And as it stands, it is work that’s likely to end up on the chopping block under this Nazi clown show of an administration.
Hold on, didn’t Trump say that Social Security and Medicaid wasn’t going to be touched? Yes, he did say that but then again, Trump says a lot of things - most of them lies. Plus, he’s unleashed Apartheid Nostalgist, Elon Musk onto the vast and complex data systems undergirding much of the federal government’s structures to wreak havoc in much the same way he did at Twitter.
Now the chaos has reached Social Security.
On the Work Front
I want to share what I’ve been going through as a federal worker these last few weeks. It’s going to be a lot of work-related stuff - if you want to skip it, I get it. But I do think it’s important to chronicle, and get the word out. There are many, many people who - if they even know some of this is happening - still have some misconceptions about federal workers.
On February 18th then-Acting Commissioner Michelle King resigned over clashes with so-called DOGE’s access to sensitive information. She was succeeded by Leland Dudek, an until-then mid-level manager in the Office of Program Integrity, an anti-fraud arm of the agency. Apparently, prior to King’s resignation, Leland (“Lee” in internal communications, perhaps because “Leland” doesn’t sound quite as muscular) had been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation into his unauthorized sharing of SSA information with DOGE staffers. Oh, and he’d also sent harassing emails to colleagues who expressed reservations to working with Musk’s team.
Once appointed as Acting Commissioner, Dudek began slashing.
On February 24, an after hours press release he “eliminated” the Office of Transformation (placing its approximately 150 employees on administrative leave). This supposedly “wasteful” department’s mission was to modernize technology, and customer experience, among other things - all in a transparent manner and with trackable progress.
The very next day, February 25, 2025, once again in an after-hours press release, the dissolution of a “duplicative” office: The Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity (OCREO; approximately 120 employees). You can see where this is headed. OCREO would have pumped the breaks on what Trump, Musk, and Dudek are doing by insisting that if the administration wanted a reduction in force (RIF; a bit more on that later) that it needs to happen in a measured way and not in this haphazard, careless, and frankly dangerous way. Sure, the press release says the office’s functions will be redistributed to existing (“remaining” might be more accurate for what’s being attempted, but let me not get ahead of myself), but to which ones? Do those offices have subject matter experts in civil rights and equal opportunity laws as they apply to the civil service? Doubtful.
February 27 brought us options - all of them designed to prompt voluntarily leaving the civil service. But what about the offer of relocation? Well, even if you beat the rush and get relocated (no guarantee it’ll be close to where you live) that doesn’t mean you won’t be subject to subsequent rounds of illegal firings. All the other options are “voluntary” - which doesn’t offer any legal protections (including possible reinstatement if - big if - the courts agree this process is illegal). One last thing, and it’s something I’ve mentioned to colleagues - the voluntary separation lump sums might look tempting at first glance, but personally, I wouldn’t trust people who are known for reneging on their payments or obligations once they’ve gotten what they wanted.
February 28: My "Cutting SSA staff by 50% is a rumor" press release has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my press release. As you can imagine, I have no confidence in what any of these clowns say.
There’s also the reduction of Social Security’s regions from 10 down to 4 because it’s “no longer sustainable”. Maybe, but then again let’s think about what the big picture always is with right-wing austerity - ration services and benefits in such a way that people may adopt a sour grapes attitude towards government programs that benefit them. SSA has been historically understaffed for more than a decade, now imagine if you suddenly have to drive hours just to get a copy of your Social Security Card because your local one got closed.
Personally, I wonder if any will remain in Puerto Rico. Imagine the Kafka-esque absurdity of Puerto Rican’s closest Regional Office is in Miami.
Given the fact that this administration’s on-board with eugenics (whenever the media mentions “DEI,” they always drop the “A” which stands for “accessibility”), I figure I’m on borrowed time. It felt like I’d “made it” but you know what? Maybe them spending all this time and energy on trying to get me to leave are resources they’re not spending on truly heinous stuff.
Scant consolation, I know.
Now What?
Okay, so what can you do? I ask myself the same thing every day now. The simplest answer is: what you can to fight this. I’ve been calling my reps to keep them apprised of what’s been happening. I’ll be very honest here - I don’t know if my representatives will in fact move the needle in any way, but you know what the perverse thing about that feeling is? That even while I hold that uncertainty in my mind, actually trying to do something makes me feel better.
Another thing that Musk is banking on is the general public thinking that civil service is no different than working in the private sector. This is clear in the vague language surrounding these actions, which are often repeated by the media. For example, above I mentioned that what is happening is NOT a RIF or a Reduction In Force. Why? Because in the federal government, Reduction In Force has a very specific legal definition, and is a structured process that can take months, perhaps years. Not weeks. Also, RIFs are local in scope, not government-wide. What “DOGE” - through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) - has been doing up until now are NOT RIFs.
They are also not layoffs. That’s a private sector term that doesn’t really apply to civil service. This is another word used to prompt a shrug in most people. They see layoffs as commonplace in the private sector, but federal employees aren’t laid off. In part because the federal government’s long been considered a “model employer” due to its workplace protections. Trump, Musk, “DOGE”, and apparently a lot of people resent these protections. Unsurprising that two billionaires would be against workers having rights. More surprising to see just how many people have been conditioned think the same way. Well, maybe not entirely surprising, but it is very disappointing.
Ultimately, these are illegal mass firings and it behooves the administration and their allies (which may include some of the very same mass media we’re supposed to trust to get these things right) to muddy the waters, to make federal workers seem nefarious and trying to obscure “the truth” from the public.
This last narrative is extremely frustrating because everything that’s being done by Trump, Musk, “DOGE”, and the rest of the forty thieves is not transparent at all (remember how “DOGE” staffers’ identities were kept out of any reporting because of fears of doxxing?). You’d think the names of a group of blackhat hackers, neonazi youth, and programmers who routinely expose our federal systems and databases to the raw Internet (because they don’t seem to follow any cybersecurity protocols, or don’t seem to care) would be newsworthy! Not so.
I’ve found that places like Wired, Rolling Stone, and 404 Media have been heroically picking up the slack where outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post fell down.
Lastly, if you know anyone who receives any sort of benefits ask them if they feel comfortable with the world’s richest man holding onto their money. Since Medicaid’s entire budget is up next in the upcoming budget bill, if you know anyone who’s on state-assisted medical programs let them know they’re probably on Medicaid. Emptying Medicaid’s coffers will increase infant mortality rates almost immediately. This administration is trusting that most people (including their own constituents) are unaware of just how much of they depend on the U.S. government.
Sadly, we are all in this together.
Let’s get to it.