Federal employees are in full-blown panic mode at the prospect of a Trump comeback. Workers at agencies like the EPA are scrambling for safety, jumping ship to departments less likely to face Trump’s crosshairs. One Interior Department worker admits that they’ve even pressed pause on buying a new car and delayed much-needed home repairs, all while digging through the conservative Heritage Foundation’s *Project 2025* like it holds the secret to their survival.
The anxiety isn’t unwarranted. Trump and his allies have been clear: they’re gunning for the “deep state.” Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, flat-out said that Trump should fire “every civil servant in the administrative state.” And during his previous stint in office, Trump pushed to make it easier to fire federal employees—something the Biden administration quickly reversed.
With a potential Trump win, the writing on the wall is obvious for those working in environmental and regulatory roles. Biden’s climate and energy programs showered with funding in recent years, are the first in line for cuts. And it’s sending staffers into survival mode, trying to wrap up as much as they can before the train leaves the station. Nicole Cantello, a union leader representing EPA employees, said her members are fleeing to safer departments like Energy and Commerce, where they’re less likely to become targets of a Trump “purge.”
One Interior Department worker confessed, “We’ve stopped doing any money-spending things because what if we’re without jobs next year? We need all the savings we can get.” It’s hard not to see the irony here—federal workers putting off purchases, just like millions of Americans have been doing for years. Welcome to the club.
The fear extends beyond finances. Staffers fret about retaliation, with one employee saying, “I can see them going back through articles and saying, ‘You’re fired.’” And they’re not just worried about job security—they believe democracy itself is at risk. “Anybody with half a brain is existentially afraid for the safety of democracy,” one National Science Foundation worker remarked in what feels like a dramatic flourish.
One person interviewed noted that they decided to purchase a brand-new car. Wow! Imagine having the money to go out and purchase a new car in this economy.
Meanwhile, some Trump-era officials aren’t shy about their frustrations with civil servants. David Bernhardt, Trump’s former Interior Secretary, vented in his book, *You Report to Me*, about the challenges of dealing with a resistant bureaucracy. Mandy Gunasekara, Trump’s former EPA chief of staff, took things a step further in her book *Y’all Fired*, where she advocated moving the EPA’s headquarters to Florida or Texas to drain the swamp. She even had a hand in writing *Project 2025*, a conservative blueprint that outlines how the EPA’s “activities and staffing levels far exceed its congressional mandates.”
Trump, though distancing himself from *Project 2025* publicly, hasn’t shied away from signaling his intentions to cut climate and environmental spending. He’s already floated the idea of slashing unspent funds from Biden’s climate law, though pulling that off won’t be simple given congressional approval. Still, with only 17% of the allocated funds spent as of April, Trump would have some wiggle room to try.
For now, employees are working overtime, racing to finalize key initiatives under Biden’s administration. EPA spokesperson Nick Conger stressed the urgency: “The climate crisis requires immediate action. Communities are suffering from pollution.” EPA has already committed $29.1 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act and aims to allocate nearly $38.3 billion by year-end. But Trump has promised to stop that momentum cold if he returns to office.
At the moment, it’s a balancing act between fear and duty. “Everybody’s just kind of focusing on the mission right now,” said one EPA employee. However, with Trump’s victory looming, many know their time in the bureaucracy could be running out.
