Liberals prepare to fight back in case Trump gets re-elected and fires thousands of government employees

WASHINGTON, DC: The prospective return of former President Donald Trump to the White House raises concerns regarding his plans to fundamentally reshape the federal government.

Such plans include the deportation of millions of immigrants residing in the US illegally, the dissolution of government agencies, and the termination of tens of thousands of workers, to be replaced by loyalists, according to a report by the Associated Press.

While liberal organizations in Washington are supporting President Joe Biden and remain hopeful of Trump's defeat, they are quietly working to construct contingency plans, should the need arise.

What are the roadblocks liberals will put in place in case of a Trump re-election?

A coalition of activists, advocates, and legal experts is advocating for new federal regulations aimed at curbing presidential power, while also urging the Biden administration to take measures that protect his accomplishments and limit Trump's authority in the event of a second term.

This effort, however, lacks the level of attention that Trump's supporters are dedicating to their plans to establish a conservative government-in-waiting, known as ‘Project 2025.’

The Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's central human resources agency, has proposed a regulation that prohibits the reclassification of tens of thousands of government workers rendering them more susceptible to termination.

According to spokesperson Viet Tran, the office will finalize the rule in April implying that a future administration that seeks to turn back the rule would likely have to expend months, if not years, in doing so.

While those who support this initiative acknowledge its limitations, its relevance in the current political climate cannot be overstated.

What have the current authorities said regarding this rule?

Michael Linden, a former executive associate director of the White House Office of Management and Budget under President Joe Biden said, “My impression is the Biden administration is taking very seriously that potential threat and is trying to do things now.”

Linden continued, "Nobody should be under any illusion that there’s anything that this president can do in advance to prevent the next president from doing things that are very damaging, potentially catastrophically.”

“There isn't any magic bullet,” he added.

The White House is hesitant to discuss a second Trump term before Election Day because it would imply that it has contingencies put in place if Biden loses.

Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden's campaign said that Trump "is already telegraphing plays straight out of the authoritarian playbook — gutting the civil service of people he deems disloyal and plotting revenge on his political enemies.”

"There’s one way of stopping Trump’s dangerous and un-American plans: reelecting President Biden,” Munoz stated.

The behind-the-scenes in Washington during an election year heats up

The key issue for both the Trump administration and the Democratic Party in recent times has been determining the number of government employees that can be removed by a new administration, potentially allowing for the appointment of loyalists.

Towards the end of his term, former President Trump sought to reclassify thousands of the more than 2 million federal employees, thereby stripping them of job protections and making them at-will employees under a new classification referred to as ‘Schedule F.’

Of the federal employees, approximately 4,000 are political appointees who typically change with each administration.

However, creating Schedule F could have increased this number by more than tenfold.

President Biden has since revoked this order, but former President Trump has indicated his intention to revive it should he win in 2024.

Furthermore, conservatives preparing policy documents are strategizing how to terminate employees to make more room for Trump appointees.

Numerous federal rules, introduced by the Trump administration, may continue to impact the US government's operations in the near future.

Among these, a proposed OPM (Office of Personnel Management) rule could potentially hinder any future executive branch orders to relocate government agencies.

This particular rule was introduced due to the Trump administration's decision to move several agencies within the Department of Agriculture from Washington to Kansas City in 2019, as well as within the Bureau of Land Management from Washington to Grand Junction, Colorado, the following year.

Undoing federal rules can be a time-consuming task, and it may also lead to legal challenges.

During his presidency, Trump faced numerous lawsuits from individuals and organizations that sought to prevent his administration from implementing policies related to various issues, such as immigration and the environment.

In response to various issues that arose during the Trump administration, Congress has passed several changes.

For instance, lawmakers have prohibited presidents from withdrawing the US from NATO unilaterally.

Additionally, they have strengthened the Electoral Count Act, which Trump attempted to manipulate on January 6, 2021, when he urged lawmakers to reject electors from states he lost, based on unfounded claims of voter fraud.

Advocates contend that President Biden has several options available to counteract the Trump administration's policies.

For instance, he could promote expanded collective bargaining agreements with federal personnel.

Moreover, he could initiate the complex bureaucratic process of designating more government posts as policy-dedicated, thus making it more difficult to dismiss employees.

Internet reacts as liberals push for contingencies in case of a Trump re-election

People on X expressed their concern and support regarding the 77-year-old GOP presidential frontrunner's chances of getting back in the White House come November.

One X user remarked, "He won't win. End of story."

"They should be fired. The bureaucrats have to go," another user argued. 

Another user claimed, "Trump will be convicted before convention. How will he win?"

One user said, "It needs to be done. The government is bloated. Many agencies waste money. If they spend their budget, they are rewarded with a higher budget. We probably would be fine with half the current federal employees."

"The less government workers the better," another X user wrote.

A user tweeted, "Yep. There should not be any permanent jobs."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.