LOUISVILLE, Ky. — State leaders and union representatives spoke in opposition of actions taken by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to cut federal jobs. Speakers echoed sentiments of demonstrations earlier this year at Kentucky’s state capitol and in cities nationwide.
“I’m asking the people in Washington, D.C. to stop it,” said Shawn Berry Williams with the American Federation of Government Employees.
Layoffs of federal workers have been felt nationwide. From the National Weather Service to U.S. Agency for International Develpment to the Transportation Security Administration. Thousands of cuts are expected within the Department of Veterans Affairs as well.
Cuts Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, believes will impact those who served in the armed forces and are guaranteed care when they return home.
“Could it be better? Yes. Should it be better? Yes. Are we going to make it better by taking 80,000 people out of the system? Hell no!,” McGarvey said.
McGarvey, Kentucky’s lone Democrat in Congress serves on the House Veterans Affairs committee. He hopes to see his Republican counterparts in Washington oppose VA layoffs.
“Saying that we care about our veterans is not just a talking point. It’s in the policies we pass, it’s in the actions we take. It is to honor those men and women brave enough to stand up for all of us. And we’re not going to sit down while Donald Trump and his administration tries to take away their benefits,” McGarvey said.
Also speaking in solidarity with those who gathered Friday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville. He called federal workers the backbone of our country.
On Thursday, March 20, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, voiced his support for DOGE and President Donald Trump on social media. Saying in an ‘X’ post “Elon Musk we’ve got your back — just tell us what you need.”
