Many, both in and out of government, will suffer from Trump’s deep cuts in federal staffing and spending.
Grover Norquist is closer to reaching a goal he first stated in 2001.
“I don’t want to abolish government,” said Norquist, a conservative political activist, pundit and proponent of tax reductions. “I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”
When he said that more than two decades ago, Norquist was ridiculed. The federal government has been growing since its inception more than two centuries ago, and there was no reason to expect that to change.
Now, after five weeks of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, we are witnessing the scope of the federal government being reduced. Trump is not, as most politicians do, promising more. He is saying we need to expect less from the government and more from ourselves.
“We’re cutting down the size of government. We have to,” Trump said on Wednesday, Feb. 26, during the first Cabinet meeting. “We’re bloated. We’re sloppy. We have a lot of people that aren’t doing their job.”
Working with billionaire entrepreneur and Bond villain Elon Musk, who has emerged as Trump’s most trusted and powerful aide, the federal government is changing. Thousands of workers have been fired, and hundreds of thousands will soon lose their jobs.
Trump and Musk are pledging to create a leaner, more agile and responsive government to replace a bloated, entrenched system. Can they do it? Should they do it?
And what will be the impact?
The decision to cut jobs and reduce spending was reached in Washington, D.C., but it will be felt across the country. It’s important to note about 80 percent of federal workers are stationed across the USA.
With far fewer people to do the work, progress will slow on fair housing claims, tax collection efforts — which will be cheered by many Americans, especially the wealthy — immigration, health care and other areas where the government has become closely involved.
Food inspections will slow, as will patent approvals and student aid programs. When fall rolls around, enrolling in college and obtaining the money to do so may be difficult.
Enjoy visiting national parks? With thousands of workers vanishing, expect longer lines and many days when such a trip will be impossible.
Thousands of workers at the National Institutes of Health, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and respiratory therapists, have been laid off. That will have a ripple effect, especially in light of the anti-vaccine movement, which Trump and his team have embraced.
The measles outbreak in Texas is likely a canary in the coal mine moment. Even former heroin addict and dead bear collector Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who weaseled his way into Trump’s circle by embracing crackpot theories, has now urged people to take the jab.
Many federal grants have been put on hold. States, counties, cities and private citizens counting on federal dollars will have to find a different way to pay for already planned projects. In some cases, people already spend money anticipating payback from the feds.
Sorry about that.
Farmers will lose billions in grants and programs. Rotational grazing systems designed to improve soil health, solar panel installations, conversions from diesel to electric machinery and waterway projects to reduce erosion all saw funding suspended. Research on myriad topics, many agriculture-related, will slow or stop.
Farmers are already wary of promised steep tariffs against three of our largest trading partners, Canada — which Trump repeatedly says he wants to annex — Mexico and China.
Trump’s move to abolish the US Agency for International Development and greatly reduce foreign aid, may be politically popular with many of his supporters. But farmers, who overwhelmingly backed Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, are wondering what will happen now that USAID is no longer purchasing sorghum and other excess grains.
They are aware that Food for Peace, one of USAID’s programs, purchased and distributed 4 billion pounds of food to 58 million people in 2022. How will these changes impact markets?
NPR asked the Trump administration about the impact of these cuts to farmers. It was told Trump is confident — as always — that he is on the right track.
“The Biden administration crushed American agriculture with regulatory uncertainty, crippling inflation, trade imbalances, and radical environmental policies,” the White House said in a statement. “Thankfully, President Trump is already delivering relief by unleashing American energy and cutting 10 regulations for every new regulation. He will continue to make all agencies more efficient to better serve the American people, including our hardworking farmers.”
But we are promised billions of dollars in waste will be reduced. Musk is not a government employee, but he is exercising tremendous power as he pushes for deep cuts in the government through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Polls show most Americans are uneasy with the influence that Musk has seized and been given by Trump. No one voted for him, and yet he is gaining power by the day. Musk claims DOGE has eliminated $65 billion in wasteful spending, but close examination of records puts the figure far lower.
You have to wonder how long a partnership between Trump and Musk — two strong-willed, arrogant and thin-skinned men — will endure. They share a vision for a smaller, more efficient government, and working on that goal could lead to some clashes.
We are reaping the whirlwind of Trump’s second try at running the country. This time, he has discarded the political veterans who tried to guide him from 2017-21 and surrounded himself with true believers.
They would love to shrink government down and drag it toward Norquist’s bathtub. Will the baby be spared when the bath water is discarded?
We will have to wait and see the impact of this drastic change of course, but there is sure to be considerable splashing around.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
