How will US federal workers react to the wrath of DOGE?

They face hard choices. The US should heed past advice on reforms

- Kathryn Anne Edwards is a labour economist and independent policy consultant.

America has elected a president who has empowered two businessmen with no experience in public service or governing to effectively rule over the federal government, in part by promising to "delete" assorted agencies as part of a plan to cut spending by $2 trillion. Both have an affinity for mass layoffs, Elon Musk at his various companies and Vivek Ramaswamy of federal employees as part of a campaign promise.

Whether these men, who will lead President-elect Donald Trump's proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will have any actual authority remains to be seen. If nothing else, their impossible-to-meet promises to slash spending and fire workers has put a spotlight on government employees in terms of who they are, the functions they perform and their motivations for working in the public sector.

Although we don't yet know what DOGE has in store, an improvement in job quality, wages and working conditions is unlikely. Just this week, Trump threatened to fire federal employees who don't come back to the office and said he would go to court to challenge a Biden administration labour contract that locked in remote work arrangements for thousands of them.

So, if you are a federal worker, should you quit and avoid the potential wrath of DOGE? In some ways, the answer reveals what is wrong with government.