This story is part of WTOP’s ongoing series, Trump Impact, which looks at how the new administration could change the D.C. region.

Federal workers across the D.C. area are bracing for possible cuts to the government workforce that President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to implement when he returns to the White House.

Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said that’s why he put together the Tele-Town Hall on Thursday evening, which allowed federal workers and people concerned about major cuts to federal agencies to dial in.

“I think it’s tragic,” Ivey said. “We’ve got a lot of federal employees who’ve been doing great work here for the country for many, many years. And I think they’re vilified and targeted in this way.”

Ivey said he and other members of the Maryland congressional delegation are trying to help protect federal jobs.

Trump has said he plans to reimplement Schedule F, which effectively could make it easier to fire federal employees without cause.

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Trump has appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Efficiency, which isn’t an actual agency, but is tasked to come up with ways to make the government more efficient, potentially through unprecedented cuts to the federal workforce.

Musk and Ramaswamy visited Capitol Hill last week, to meet with lawmakers and discuss how they plan to slash the number of federal workers.

Pledges have been made many times over the years to shrink the federal government, and some are skeptical this latest effort will lead to the sweeping changes Musk and Ramaswamy have committed to.

But Ivey said his constituents have taken notice.

“There’s definitely concern,” he said. “I think a lot of people are worried that they’re going to be pushed out of their positions unfairly.”

Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation say their constituents share those concerns.
Virginia has more than 140,000 federal workers, and like Maryland and D.C., its economy relies heavily on federal dollars.

But Republican critics of federal spending say much of it is wasted and that there is plenty of room for cuts.

They argue reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy would improve the overall economy.

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