With President Trump Now a Reality, Will Federal Employees Jump Ship?
On October 25, Washington Monthly published my article, Trump: The Anti-Diplomat. Citing a survey by the Government Business Council earlier this year showing that a quarter of federal workers would consider resigning rather than serve under President Trump, I had asked some federal employees, mostly in the State Department, what they would do. One senior diplomat told me he would quit by January rather than risk standing "in front of a war crimes commission" from carrying out unethical or illegal orders in a Trump administration. Another official told me he could "not imagine working for a Putin stooge like Trump" and would resign. Others, however, told me they would carry on with their work albeit unenthusiastically. Another diplomat who is a Trump supporter, while holding reservations about the (then) candidate, said he felt a wild card like Trump could offer potentially positive directions. I strove to be balanced with my piece, also citing the support for Trump of two labor unions which represent federal immigration employees.
At the time I wrote my article, the national media were writing Donald Trump's political epitaph. Editors who read my draft felt it was basically irrelevant because all indicators pointed to a Hillary Clinton victory. The visionary editors at Washington Monthly, however, saw some clear writing on the wall and went ahead with running my piece.
Well, Trump won. Yesterday, the Trump transition team announced its first high-level choices for top White House positions. One is controversial Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon. Bannon is being attacked in some quarters as a white supremacist. Whatever the case, we can expect to see more controversial appointments to the over 4,000 political vacancies throughout the government.
Now that a Trump administration will become a reality within a few weeks, it's fish or cut bait time for many feds faced with soldiering on in their careers or fleeing.
I would welcome feedback from active duty federal employees regarding your views/plans. Anonymous replies are welcome, but I ask that you provide your agency affiliation and grade. I will draw on credible comments for a follow-on article. I can be reached via the email attached to this blog.