- President Donald Trump's plan to reshape the federal workforce is underway.
- Some federal workers said they voted for Trump thinking he'd help the economy and struggling Americans.
- While they support cutting government waste, some don't think all federal workers should be targeted.
Many federal workers have expressed outrage and despair at President Donald Trump's workforce mandates — but what about those who filled in the bubble next to his name on the ballot?
"I voted for Trump. I wanted to see some positive change," a federal employee of 17 years told Business Insider, adding that they didn't know that change would put them at risk of losing their job.
While some of the hot-button issues Trump is tackling, such as eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and cutting spending, may resonate with right-leaning workers, policies such as remote work and cutting the government's head count haven't traditionally been partisan matters.
As of Thursday, about 75,000 federal employees had accepted the president's buyout offer. That's about 3.75% of the federal workforce, inching closer to the White House's goal of reducing the federal staff count by 5% to 10%.
Four federal employees who said they voted for Trump spoke with Business Insider about their feelings on his approach to the federal workforce. BI granted their requests for anonymity and verified their identities.
Trump supporters said they stood by the cost-cutting mission
While the federal workers BI spoke with said they didn't fully support certain policies affecting them, some stood by the overall mission to reduce government waste.
One federal worker said they didn't understand why some government agencies had so many employees.
"They're uncovering a lot of waste and abuse there," the worker said about the Department of Government Efficiency. "I just can't believe some of the stuff that they're finding which is a total waste of taxpayer money."
Elon Musk, who leads DOGE — a Trump-created commission aimed at slashing government waste — has vowed to target a range of existing federal programs, including expired spending authorization that goes to veterans' healthcare and NASA.
"This is the reason why people voted for Trump," the worker said. "Because what is the government doing? Why aren't they forthcoming? Why? People want answers."
While the worker said they understood why some people might be annoyed to return to the office full time, they said that "somebody needs to put their foot down."
Another federal worker said they disagreed with focusing on federal workers without better understanding the various programs and the need for federal employees to keep them going. That said, they added that they saw value in looking at where money was being spent and that they were overall supportive of Trump.
For example, the worker said they supported the administration's approach with the US Agency for International Development. Trump and Musk have both called USAID out over wastefulness and supporting liberal causes. A federal judge blocked Trump's funding freeze on the agency and his attempt to put thousands of workers on leave.
USAID spent $32.5 billion in global aid in 2024. About a quarter of the money went toward humanitarian efforts, another quarter went to health and population initiatives, and additional funds were directed toward governance and administrative expenses.
"I think overall we're going to end up better off with him as a president," the worker said.
Some had concerns about targeting the federal workforce
The 17-year federal employee said they voted for Trump thinking he would help the economy and struggling Americans. Now, the worker said, they feel as if the president is making things worse by putting federal workers' livelihoods at risk.
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"Do Trump and Musk know the whole situation of every federal building? I don't think they're making proper choices," the worker said.
They added that while they agreed with Trump's goal to cut government waste, they didn't agree that cutting the federal workforce and requiring all employees to return to the office full time was an effective approach.
Another federal worker said they voted for Trump twice and "had hope that he would fulfill his promises," but that hope disappeared after the administration's deferred resignation offers. The Office of Personnel Management offered federal employees the option to resign and receive pay through September, but this offer is now on pause because of ongoing litigation.
One worker said the way they'd gone about the federal workforce changes was a "little disconcerting." The worker said that while they understood Musk was only there for so long, it seemed as if they were "getting rid of people very quickly."
The worker also had concerns about returning to work in person because they moved out of DC, saying it would be a financial burden to return to the office.
A federal worker said they reached out to their senators and congressman and told them that "demonizing the federal workforce is not good." They said federal workers have performance reviews, meet with supervisors, and act in compliance with their mission.
"Don't take it out on us just because of the bad behavior of the prior administration," the worker said, adding that they hadn't changed their stance on supporting Trump because "it shouldn't have come to this."
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