Federal workers and their supporters railed against President Trump and Elon Musk in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon as a part of a nationwide action against the administration’s ongoing federal job purge.
Assembling outside of 26 Federal Plaza, over one hundred demonstrators, including workers who have been ousted by Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), proclaimed that they are fighting back against the billionaire. Dubbing the movement “Save our Services” (SOS), the group brandished signs and chanted.
More than 200,000 federal workers have already been forced out or face termination, gutting the agencies that ensure Social Security payments, veterans’ health care, disaster relief, food safety, airline safety and consumer protections, among other core responsibilities.
“I work right there at the Federal Building, or rather, I would be working if I wasn’t placed on administrative leave two weeks ago, just because I work on environmental justice, which is considered DEIA under the new executive order,” said one impacted worker named Drew. “I’m not the only one on administrative leave.”
Those rallying against Musk, the Tesla and X billionaire whom Trump appointed as head of a “Department of Government Efficiency,” did not mince words when it came to what they called his “hostile takeover” of the government. They charge Musk is stealing from the American people in order to service billionaires and in doing so, illegally removing workers from their positions.
“I was illegally fired last week,” said Jasmine McAllister, an affected federal employee. “Elon Musk illegally fired me because he does not want [the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] CFPB to exist. CFPB protects the everyday person from Wall Street.”
She explained that her bureau has the responsibility of protecting people from illegal fees, combating scammers and correcting credit reporting errors. Though she lost her job, she said she is pushing back.
“We’re in the courts fighting back. We’re in the streets fighting back because democracy is under attack,” McAllister added.
The demonstration even went as far as to say that these cuts are one step in a grander scheme to break apart government-run programs and then sell the pieces to the highest bidder — essentially an effort to privatize programs like Social Security, Medicare and other government programs.
“Elon Musk steals $8 million a day from taxpayers through federal contracts while calling working people parasites,” said Chris Dols, spokesperson for the Federal Unionists Network and President of IFPTE Local 98. “But Americans are seeing the truth: he is the real parasite, draining public funds, shutting down Social Security and health care, and forcing thousands of public servants out so billionaires can profit off disaster and dysfunction.”
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