David Pasquino cast his vote for President Donald Trump, only to be let go by the new administration.
The former Veterans Affairs staff member shared with Business Insider that despite his ongoing support for certain Trump policies, he finds many of the president’s actions concerning.
He appreciates the president’s stance on border security and plans to expand the military but disapproves of Elon Musk’s role in the termination of thousands of federal employees.
“They are literally taking a chainsaw to the government when they should be using a scalpel,” Pasquino remarked. “This is not what I envisioned when President Trump promised to reform the government and enhance its efficiency.”
BI conducted interviews with 10 current and former federal employees, granting them some anonymity to speak candidly without repercussions. Many who are still on the job revealed that they voted for Trump with the belief that he would honor his campaign commitments. However, ongoing threats to their job security and the vilification of colleagues have left them feeling regretful.
“I feel betrayed. I didn’t want to see everyone lose their jobs,” a Veterans Affairs worker who supported Trump twice lamented. “You’re fired. You’re fired. You’re fired. This isn’t ‘The Apprentice.’
Others continue to back Trump and his goal of reducing government waste. The dominant sentiment was that they did not vote for Musk.
“I have no interest in Elon Musk,” a VA employee stated. “I don’t want him interfering in my affairs. He’s not the president. Trump is.”
Harrison Fields, the principal deputy press secretary at the White House, informed BI that Trump “returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to implement significant changes in our federal government to root out waste, fraud, and abuse.”
“Accomplishing this in a dysfunctional system riddled with bureaucracy and excess is challenging but necessary,” Fields noted. “The financial well-being of every American is a primary concern for the President, which is why he’s committed to reducing regulations, bringing jobs back, lowering taxes, and making the government more efficient.”
Elon Musk is ‘not the president’
Musk’s position as the de facto head of DOGE has puzzled voters and lawmakers who did not foresee the impact he would have on the Trump administration. He has been seen in the Oval Office with Trump, addressing reporters. His posts on X have translated into official communications from the Office of Personnel Management, and he has even engaged with world leaders.
“We didn’t vote for him. We voted for Trump,” the VA employee declared, adding, “That really bothers me.”
An employee from the National Weather Service expressed admiration for Musk’s achievements at SpaceX and Tesla but emphasized that “private enterprise is completely different from government.”
While private companies prioritize profit, the employee elaborated, “The public sector has broader responsibilities than merely focusing on financial efficiency.”
“We save lives and undertake tasks that may not generate revenue but are crucial nonetheless,” this individual remarked.
Musk has been defending his efforts and suggested in a recent interview that DOGE’s agenda will continue progressing. Meanwhile, the Trump administration appears to be attempting to downplay Musk’s role in the White House. Trump stated to reporters in the Oval Office last week that while he believes Musk is doing “an amazing job,” he wants his Cabinet members to take the lead on addressing governmental waste.
‘I voted for something totally different’
Marcia, 67, is another Trump supporter who lost her federal job, and she expressed feeling “extremely let down.”
“He promised to reduce prices. He was going to lower gas costs. He was going to assist the middle class in America,” Marcia, who is pursuing reinstatement, stated.
The National Weather Service employee voted for Trump with the hope of returning to the conditions of 2019. Instead, they described the current atmosphere as “the most toxic environment I’ve ever encountered.”
The employee conveyed feelings of being “hoodwinked” by the president. During the campaign, they trusted Trump when he claimed involvement with Project 2025, a conservative framework developed by the Heritage Foundation. Among other goals, Project 2025 proposed dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service.
After the election, Trump nominated Russell Vought, a pivotal figure behind Project 2025, to head the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.
“I thought, ‘I’ll trust Trump; he won’t enact everything proposed there,'” the National Weather Service employee recounted, “but suddenly, everything seems to be coming true.”
The VA worker criticized the administration for not leveraging their votes to honor the commitments that garnered their support.
“I voted for something completely different, for the economy and border control,” the worker stated, “I did not vote for him to bully the federal government and indiscriminately fire people.”
Marcia expressed her confidence in her vote last November due to Trump’s commitments to enhance the economy and enforce border policy. However, had she known then what she knows now, she would have abstained from voting for him.
“I’ve been a lifelong Republican, and this is the first time a Republican president has misled me,” Marcia lamented. “If I had known I would lose my job because Trump assumed the presidency, I would not have voted for him.”
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Some still support the cuts — even if more are coming
Not all federal workers who voted for Trump feel the same way about their experiences. One such worker mentioned their “full support for DOGE auditing and identifying fraud within the system.”
“If the agency doesn’t require them, why are they still employed?” the worker questioned. BI has previously interviewed Trump-supporting federal employees who, while not wholly endorsing Trump’s approach to the federal workforce, back his objectives aimed at cutting government waste.
“I believe overall we will ultimately benefit from his presidency,” stated one of the employees.
Another worker, who generally supports Trump and DOGE’s mission, acknowledged that potential job cuts would “definitely be challenging for my family.” They recognized, going into the election, that positions might be eliminated. Yet, they added, “I believe if we want to continue funding essential services like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education, and infrastructure, we must significantly reduce spending.”
Further federal layoffs are anticipated; the Office of Personnel Management has requested all agencies to submit reorganization proposals by March 13. This situation leaves employees uncertain about their futures, particularly those who supported the president, leading to a particularly bitter sentiment.
The National Weather Service employee conveyed that the anticipated efficiency gains from DOGE’s initiatives are not manifesting.
“There’s anxiety, shock, and a lingering distrust in our ability to perform our jobs,” they noted. “DOGE desires our maximum effectiveness, yet these threats distract us.”
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