Federal Workers Express Fear and Chaos Amid Trump’s Sweeping Government Overhaul

WASHINGTON—Federal employees across multiple agencies are grappling with uncertainty and fear as President Donald Trump’s administration rapidly implements sweeping executive orders, dramatically reshaping the U.S. government. Civil servants describe low morale, job insecurity, and confusion as they struggle to navigate the administration’s sudden and aggressive policy shifts, NBC News reported.

“There’s a lot of fear about returning to the office,” one official at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) told the outlet. The agency, responsible for administering foreign aid, has undergone some of the most significant shakeups in the past 10 days, creating an atmosphere of anxiety.

“It has sent a chill through the building,” the official added. In recent days, government workers have received emails offering them the option of a “deferred resignation”—an exit package including eight months’ pay and benefits. However, the offer has only heightened fears, with some employees comparing it to Elon Musk’s mass layoffs at Twitter (now X), where many employees never received promised severance.

“There’s a lot of skepticism about that, given the fact that this email seemed to model Elon Musk’s email to the Twitter folks who never got paid,” the USAID official said. “So it’s caused a lot of chaos and turmoil. I think the point is to really scare people and make them think that their jobs are threatened. It’s definitely working.”

The situation has grown so tense that some employees are receiving abrupt notifications to leave work immediately. “It is chaos over here right now,” another USAID official told NBC News. “People in the halls are getting texts saying to log off of all government equipment and leave the building. No official announcements have been made, but individuals are being notified.

People are walking around, whispering and crying. It’s like watching a sniper work through a captive crowd.” At the Department of Transportation, the administration’s crackdown on remote work has been met with frustration.

“They’re trying to insult us, to be honest, to say that we’re not being productive,” one Transportation Department employee said. “And that’s simply not the case for a lot of people who are working remotely. … We have so many different series of jobs that don’t require people to be in the building.”

Meanwhile, an employee at the Social Security Administration said office morale has plummeted, with many staffers actively searching for new jobs. “It’s very low,” the employee said. “There are a lot of people looking for other work. … We’re afraid to get fired. I don’t have a backup job right now and I understand that the market is getting ready to be saturated. We already have several people who are leaving our office.”

Despite the growing discontent, the Trump administration remains steadfast in its efforts to overhaul federal agencies. White House officials argue that these moves are part of a broader plan to reduce bureaucracy and streamline government operations—one of Trump’s key campaign promises.

“For far too long, a bloated federal bureaucracy has cost American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars each year while strangling American enterprise and families with burdensome rules and regulations,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement. “President Trump received a resounding mandate to streamline our gargantuan government to better serve the needs of the American people.

He will use every lever of executive and legislative power to deliver.” As federal employees brace for further upheaval, the long-term impact of Trump’s restructuring efforts remains unclear—but for many, the immediate reality is one of fear, instability, and an uncertain future.