By Adam Pagnucco.
Like many of you, I know a few federal employees and federal contractors. Some of them have been working for the federal government directly or through contracting organizations for decades. And right now, they’re all telling me the same thing.
“I have never seen it like this.”
But they have a problem: they can’t speak out under their own names. President Donald Trump is assaulting the civil service system, a critical institution built up in the late 19th Century to limit political patronage in federal jobs. Many feds – even contractors – have told me they are thinking of dropping their Democratic party registration to avoid being targeted for termination. This would have been unthinkable under any prior president, Democratic or Republican. But we are living in an age when the unthinkable is rapidly becoming reality.
The federal government’s presence is hugely important to Montgomery County. That makes the experiences of federal employees and contractors hugely important to this site.
Tell us your stories.
This may be the first time you have visited this site. Here is my biography and email address. I have written about Montgomery County and the State of Maryland on and off for nearly 20 years. This site contains more than 5,100 columns, which comprises about 99% of my published work. Those columns would not exist without my source network, a group of hundreds of people who talk to me off the record. As a matter of fact, I have confidential discussions with my sources nearly every day. (That includes weekends since they rarely leave me alone!)
Reach out to me. Tell me what it’s like to work in your agency right now. What are your bosses saying? What are the political appointees doing? What impediments are you facing in completing your work? And what are you hearing from your co-workers?
With your permission, I intend to print your story on this site. I’ll keep your identity confidential. You deserve to be heard. It’s especially important for state and county policymakers to keep your experience in mind as they plan their budget and tax decisions this spring. A lot of them are regular readers of this site. In fact, many of them are subscribers.
Email me.
My email address is acp1629@hotmail.com.