Thousands of federal government workers have been laid off since Donald Trump's second presidency started less than a month ago. According to a Politico source described as someone "familiar with" activities at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as many as 200,000 civil service workers who were in the probationary period could be laid off.
The mass layoffs are being widely criticized among Democrats, and conservative Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is speaking out as well. In a Valentine's Day 2025 post on X, formerly Twitter, Murkowski warned of negative repercussions in her state.
Murkowski tweeted, "Dozens of Alaskans — potentially over 100 in total — are being fired as part of the Trump administration’s reduction-in-force order for the federal government. Any of these abrupt terminations will do more harm than good, stunting opportunities in Alaska and leaving holes in our communities."
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The conservative senator went on to say that she shares "the administration's goal of reducing the size of the federal government," but added that "this approach is bringing confusion, anxiety, and now trauma to our civil servants."
Murkowski's tweet is receiving plenty of reactions on X, some from users who are arguing that members of her party are the ones inflicting this damage.
X user Gail Dow tweeted, "Your party & you propping Trump up has allowed this to happen. Stop whining about something you enabled, Lisa Murkowski."
Similarly, X user Timothy Bellman, a Democrat, posted, "What did you think would happen with this administration?"
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Public relations/market research specialist Evan Ross wrote, "Maybe you should’ve used some leverage with confirming cabinet secretaries.
X user Andrew Barber mockingly tweeted, "I didn’t think the leopard would eat *my* face."
Cristi Wilkinson posted, "You failed Alaskans and all Americans by voting for his Russian assets, Fox pundits, election deniers, conspiracy theorists, useful idiots, DOGE and other frauds. What could possibly go wrong?
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