Federal science workers do the essential but often uncelebrated research that has brought us clearer air, cleaner water, and a safer planet. These public servants make far less as compared to their private sector colleagues while dedicating their careers to solving complex challenges that threaten our health and safety.
The second Trump Administration wants to take a Project 2025 sledgehammer to this merit-based public servant system, and return to the corrupt 19th century spoils regime where jobs were doled out to loyalists.
If that plan succeeds, many common-sense safeguards informed by rigorous, independent science may be weakened or eliminated to reward special interests—like the fossil fuel industry that the Trump campaign courted for $1 billion.
Under these circumstances, many federal science workers are wondering if they should stick around. Who could blame them?
But the Trump Administration’s plan is not a fait accompli. Sure, they will try to intimidate and misinform federal workers into believing it to be so. In truth, the Trump Administration will be constrained by legal processes and pushback.
For federal science workers who can look past the scare tactics of the opening months of the administration, they may find something to stick around for on the other side. Here are five reasons why federal science workers can watch and wait during these opening months of the Trump administration.
Any plan to gut the system will take time to legally implement
The Trump Administration’s plans to gut the public service system include creating a ‘Schedule F’ order that would allow greater power to fire public servants, moving agency headquarters to shed workers who have families and roots where they currently live, slashing agency funding, and much more.
Even under the most aggressive approach, the Trump Administration will need to follow rulemaking processes that can take months or years, and in some cases would even need the approval of Congress.
For example, to pass a new Schedule F order, it may require rescinding an existing rule from the Biden Administration, following all 22 steps of the federal rulemaking process, and directing individual federal agencies to identify employees for reclassification. At minimum it will be a months-long process, if not over a year, and that’s without near-certain litigation.
The federal government is not “The Apprentice.”
In the first weeks after inauguration, the Trump Administration may scream “you’re fired” in all caps on social media, and they’ll certainly want federal workers like you to believe it. But the federal government is not “The Apprentice.” The fine print of many executive orders is likely to be directing agencies to simply start a longer process, and that leaves time for federal workers to see if they are affected and to decide how and when to act.
Plans will get tied up in court
All these efforts are likely to be aggressively litigated. If the Trump Administration skips legal steps, that only increases the chance lawsuits may slow things down. In fact, President Trump lost most of his executive agency cases the first time around, or he backed down.
The Trump Administration will undoubtedly be emboldened and more organized in this second term. But it will also encounter a different landscape that includes new collective bargaining agreements, new Biden-era executive orders protective of the civil service, and a well-prepared opposition.
To be clear, the Trump Administration may ultimately achieve much of what it wants if it follows the right legal processes and successfully persuades the courts. These are very possible, even very likely, scenarios. But it will take time, and nothing is certain. Every day a case is pending is one more day federal science workers can do their essential and life-saving work.
No one yet knows how big the administration’s overreach will be. No one knows what the pushback will look like from advocates, science associations, and from other unlikely quarters. No one knows how much political capital the Trump Administration will continue to spend if efforts become bogged down. No one knows where the cases will be litigated, how various courts will rule, or which questions the Supreme Court will decide.
There’s time to wait and see how this plays out.
The administration’s plan depends on workers’ fear and overreaction
Precisely because of procedural requirements and the prospect of judicial oversight, the Trump Administration’s plan depends in large part on “traumatizing” public servants and using “shock and awe” to convince as many as possible to leave on their own as early as possible.
The more public servants the administration can scare away, of course, the fewer who will be around to continue their research, elevate findings critical for informed policymaking, use federal whistleblower protections, or benefit from a court order.
To be clear, no public servant, no matter how dedicated, should be expected to stick around for abuse. But for those inclined to stay and see what unfolds, it is worth keeping in mind that the hyperbole, bluster, and denigration coming from the Trump Administration toward federal workers during the first 100 days is exactly the point. The hope is that many federal workers will react to social media posts and headlines, rather than consulting their union representative or legal counsel.
Help for federal science workers is available
Lawyers, advocacy organizations, and labor unions from across numerous sectors have been stepping up to offer resources, toolkits, anonymous web portals, and legal assistance to federal employees.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is collecting a centralized list of resources for federal employees that continues to grow every week. Regardless of where you work in the federal government, there is likely a relevant resource on that page that can help you better understand your rights and put you in touch with support networks across the country.
The public and UCS has federal workers’ backs
According to a national poll published just days after the 2024 election, 76% of people in the US express confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests. That’s a higher level of trust than the public has for police officials or school principals.
The Union of Concerned Scientists wants federal science workers to see and feel this support, and that’s why we have launched the Save Science, Save Lives campaign. Already we’ve gathered more than 50,000 signatures, and growing, on a letter sent to Congress opposing any Cabinet nominee who would seek to undermine science. And we are just getting started.
The road ahead may be very hard for committed public servants seeking to continue doing independent, rigorous science within federal government. There will be twists and turns and even surprises along the way. Those who want to stick around can rest assured they have time to do so and will have support along the way.