On the campaign trail, Donald J. Trump and his allies left little doubt that, if they returned to power, federal workers would face layoffs, buyouts and agency closures.
Now that President Trump’s plan has become a reality, dozens of federal workers explain what it’s been like to live through it.
Today
Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students
The number of students in America’s public schools is shrinking. In some cases, the declines have been so drastic that districts are facing empty classrooms, painful budget cuts and angry debates about whether to close schools.Sarah Mervosh, an education reporter at The New York ... Show More
48m 14s
Yesterday
Secrets, Chips and Spycraft: The Nvidia C.E.O. Scandal
Over the weekend, Jensen Huang, the chief executive and co-founder of Nvidia — which makes the chips that power artificial intelligence — admitted to having an affair with a woman who has been determined by U.S. officials to be a spy. That revelation came after The New York Times ... Show More
31m 44s
Nov 9
After a Crushing Defeat, Trump Doubles Down
After a stinging rebuke last week at the polls, President Trump announced that he would elevate Stephen Miller — a driving force behind some of the most polarizing policies of Mr. Trump’s second term — to chief of staff.Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, White House reporters for ... Show More
31m 14s
Jan 2025
One Thing: Federal Workers Prepare for Trump, Musk, and Uncertainty
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take power for a second time, we hear from two government workers who have mixed feelings about potentially being on the receiving end of his campaign promises.
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26m 23s
Jun 2025
‘We want to put them in trauma’
<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">When President Donald Trump took office in January, 2.4 million people worked for the federal government. It was America’s largest employer. </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: ... Show More
26m 30s
Feb 2025
How DOGE Cuts Are Impacting Federal Workers
Proposals from DOGE, Elon Musk's entity tasked with making the federal government more "efficient," have resulted in lawsuits, pushback from other federal agencies, and a lot of uncertainty for the millions of people who work for the federal government. We look at what's happened ... Show More
16m 37s