By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, the Trump Administration continues efforts to reduce the size scope of the federal government.
However, Democrats are sounding the alarm about impacts on the federal workforce and on critical programs like Social Security.
The deadline for President Trump’s federal civilian employee buyout is Thursday. The buyout, paired with a hiring freeze for federal workers, has Democrats concerned about the impact of a federal workforce shortage on VA benefits, Social Security and Medicaid.
As promised, the Trump Administration, is taking drastic measures to downsize the federal government.
“President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Wednesday afternoon.
Out of the two million federal employees, so far about 1%, or roughly 20,000, have taken President Trump’s buyout offer ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
White House officials expect that number to grow, closer toward the administration’s goal of 5 – 10%.
As more federal employees call it quits, more Democrats are sounding the alarm about a smaller federal workforce, including the impacts of the President’s hiring freeze for workers throughout the executive branch.
Last year, the Social Security Administration’s workforce hit a 27-year low. Many veteran health facilities are also stretched thin.
“President Trump’s federal hiring freeze will exacerbate these staffing problems, hurt seniors for people with disabilities and harm veterans,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY).
According to a White House statement, nothing in the hiring freeze “shall adversely impact the provision of social security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits. In addition, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may grant exemptions from this freeze where those exemptions are otherwise necessary.”
But Sen. Gillibrand believes the hiring freeze will harm the millions in her state who rely on Social Security, Medicare and VA benefits.
“The hiring freeze makes things worse. At those agencies, it risks increasing application processing times, wait times for appointments and hold times for the phone calls, which would effectively prevent seniors, veterans and people with disabilities from getting their benefits and the health care they need to live,” said Gillibrand.
