Many right-wing media outlets are vigorously defending the mass layoffs of federal government employees being pushed by the Trump administration and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE (which is not yet an official agency authorized by Congress). And they are claiming that the Trump/DOGE efforts will save taxpayers a lot of money.
But Fox News' Jesse Watters is urging Trump and DOGE to spare a personal friend who is a military veteran facing a layoff.
On a Wednesday, February 19 broadcast of Fox News' "The Five," Watters asked Trump to be "less callous" with the mass firings, noting that his friend Chris is working for the U.S. Defense Department and at risk of being laid off.
Watters told his colleagues, "He punched out after 20 years, and (is now) working for the Pentagon. And he's only been there a few months, so he's probationary, and he just found out he’s probably going to get laid off. He's going to get DOGE’d."
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The right-wing Fox News host went on to say, "This guy is not a DEI consultant. This guy is not a climate consultant. This guy is a veteran. So when you’re talking about DOGE-ing people, veterans should get priority. Because if you’re going to go out there and kill enemies, and put your life on the line for this country, you should not be in the same category as people that are doing DEI."
The Trump administration and DOGE are targeting a wide range of government agencies for layoffs. According to the Washington Post, as many as 200,000 probationary-level federal government workers may lose their jobs.
The New Republic's Hafiz Rasid said of the Fox News host, "Watters is only upset because someone he knows personally was affected by Trump and Musk’s mass firings. Otherwise, he’d continue to cheer on the arbitrary cuts across the federal workforce. What he and the rest of right-wing media don’t realize is that plenty of other federal workers like Chris have lost their jobs or will soon."
Jesse Watters says he has a friend who is a veteran who is afraid they are going to fired because they are probationary employee at the Pentagon: Veterans should get priority. Because if you're going to go out there and kill enemies, put your life on the line, you should not be… pic.twitter.com/pIiPAHhTcM
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 19, 2025