How Federal Cuts Will Impact Our Community

By Tina Tyler

Image: The Chaffins/Unsplash

Voters in Donald Trump’s second election signaled they were tired of the ‘waste and fraud’ in the federal government. Although Clallam County voted 52 percent for Harris, the recent snowstorm of Executive Actions and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s machete-like slashing of federal workers will reach into everyone’s life.

The chaos of these firings may seem far away in Washington D.C. or big cities. Many small communities do not realize the many services that exist in their area with those employees quietly doing their job. In Clallam County, 12 federal agencies are serving local citizens:

• The National Park Service (Olympic National Park) is probably the most visible.
• Customs and Border Protection has a border control station locally.
• There’s the major U.S. Coast Guard base on Ediz Hook.
• The U.S. Forest Service has an office in Forks.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge.
• Port Angeles has a Social Security Administration office.
• U.S. Postal Service post offices and workers across the County.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service has an office in Port Angeles.
• Pacific NW National Laboratory in Sequim.
• Veteran’s Affairs runs a clinic in PA
• Bureau of Indian Affairs serves the Tribes in Clallam County
• USDA Rural Development and Farm Service work out of a PA office

According to recent figures prepared by the Congressional Research Service (12/20/24), Washington
State has 56,772 federal workers, and Clallam County has approximately 1,100 of those federal workers.

These agencies provide important services and protection to the public. The agencies grew out of a
perceived need or demand by the public for services. Although reducing waste and fraud is a worthy
goal, it must be done with careful research, thought and planning. The government has procedures for
‘downsizing’ designed to help agencies plan for reduced staff and ensure that employees are treated
fairly and have adequate time to prepare for the loss of a job. None of those procedures are being
followed which is, frankly, illegal.

Both the Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest have already had to fire employees
under this policy. They are already experiencing the ways this policy will impact seasonal hiring, which is essential for navigating high tourist volume. The services these agencies provide go with them, creating a greater burden on the remaining employees. These people are our friends and neighbors, and they contribute to our local economy and communities. Whether we lose all or some of the services now provided locally remains to be seen. The distance from Washington state to Washington D.C. will not spare us.

Sources:

• Congressional Research Service. Current Federal Civilian Employment by State and Congressional District.
•  Employment Security Department. Clallam County profile.
• KUOW. Hundreds of federal workers apply for unemployment in Washington state amid Trump's purge.
• MYNORTHWEST News. Federal layoffs drive 35% jump in unemployment claims among Washington employees.
• MyClallamCounty.com. Fired federal workers see their dream shattered and an uncertain future.
• Government Executive. Oversight agency finds Trump’s federal worker firings unlawful, asks for some employees to be reinstated.