So, they are firing federal workers. Who cares, you might think? Well, I do. I receive Social Security and a federal pension through my husband. I know some of these folks: I go to church or live near them; I hear their stories about their federal civil service.
I work with UUSJ because what is happening affects so many citizens, and many of the actions are against the law. I believe so strongly that democracy should be for the people, by the people, and of the people. I have been a long-time member of the UUSJ Democracy Action Team because I value democracy and cherish ours. I want a healthy, inclusive American democracy.
As evidenced by the many lawsuits, the Trump-Musk DOGE is taking a sledgehammer to our government and our democracy by running over our laws. You may depend on government services you don’t even know about. It will affect you wherever you live. It might be a family member or a neighbor who is fired, but when the government works, you don’t notice it, yet when it stumbles or fails, we all will notice.
Let’s take a look at how you and I may be affected.
First, we, as citizens, are at risk. You gave your private data to the government with the understanding that it would be safe and secure. Many experts are concerned about the intrusions into so many governmental databases. What does DOGE want with this information? Will they destroy or alter the information? Are they keeping it secure once they download it? Why are they not telling us what they are doing in these computers?
DOGE has already accessed the Treasury Department’s computers and may get access to sensitive and restricted IRS databases. Seeing or taking this confidential information is against the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. DOGE’s workers (most not federal employees) may be downloading information: your income, savings, retirement accounts, and tax returns. And with intrusions into Medicare and Medicaid, your private health information is at risk.
Second, most of what DOGE and the President’s Executive Orders are doing is illegal or taking power that rightly belongs to Congress or against laws passed by Congress.
If they cared about waste and fraud, why would they fire the Inspector Generals (who investigate fraud) at 17 departments? Or why close the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which returned $20 billion in monetary compensation, canceled debts, and other consumer relief to more than 205 million consumers/citizens? Firing workers without notice and following procedures is against the law. Civil servants should be hired or fired based on merit rather than political beliefs. Civil servants take an oath to the Constitution, not to a person.
The impacts of February will be with us for generations. Make your voice heard by your elected Congressional officials. Democracy is worth fighting for. Let’s urge them to get feisty in defense of our democracy. Let us UUs find our way to Faithful Defiance.
A good step is to join UUSJ when we ask and meet with your congressional staff. Another is to call your Representative and Senators regularly on issues of concern. You can always request a meeting at the local office, whether in-district or in-state.
Yes, SIGN those UUSJ Action Alerts! Send the link to friends and family. And print the posters they include for tabling at your congregation after services. Or join our UUSJ Democracy Action Team.
You can also propose that your congregation pass an internal resolution or approve a statement for your records and archives that your UU community believes in the democracy articulated in the various UU Statements of Conscience and Actions of Immediate Witness.
Our privacy is a foundational element in our willingness to be governed. It is worth fighting for.
Our mostly non-partisan, professionalized civil service plays a key role in sustaining the liberties we all cherish, they are worth defending.
Whatever you choose to do is important and know that action is the antidote to despair.
Addendum:
Examples of the impact on Americans turn up every day. Here are some from a much longer list.
- Want your tax refund quickly? Firing 6,000+ workers at the IRS will hinder that.
- Worried about the high price of eggs? The bird flu outbreak is expanding and workers who monitor or deal with the outbreak were fired.
- Farmers in Kansas, etc., suddenly need to find a new market because of a shuttered USAID, which bought American wheat to feed starving people across the world
- Firing FEMA emergency workers will affect recovery after disasters, fires, or hurricanes.
- Want to go to a National Park? Firing 1,000 employees may affect your spring break or summer plans. Parks may close or curtail hours or have dirty bathrooms.
- Does a family member receive a federal pension, Social Security, or a veteran pension? It is a real question if you will continue to receive your check on time in the future.
- DOGE made a mistake when they fired 300 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which services/manages the nation’s nuclear weapons. Indiscriminate firing puts us all at risk.
- Billions of biomedical funding cut at NIH imperiling vital research on everything from cancer to heart disease to Alzheimer’s. Years from now, we will wonder if the funds that were frozen could have kept loved ones alive.
- Immigrants and people, who are vulnerable, are being targeted because of who they are, not because they have done anything illegal.
Ursula Scott is an original member of UUSJ Democracy Action Team. She has attended River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland since 2007. Her lifelong interest in social justice led to her being a co-chair of her congregation’s Actions4Justice group, which works on democracy and voting. Ursula is a retired medical librarian, who worked at several state university medical schools and a hospital system in Texas. Retirement allowed her to dedicate herself to be a citizen advocate for health care before discovering UUSJ, which now allows her to live her values by speaking to Congressional members on issues of concern. She encourages anyone concerned to join the Democracy Action Team, as one way to have an impact.