Trump Is Firing the Wrong People, on Purpose
In his haste, Elon Musk is pushing out thousands of the government’s best minds.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., during a cabinet meeting at the White House on March 24.
Photographer: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg
On April 1, the Trump administration purged thousands of employees across US health agencies. Those fortunate enough to be allowed into their offices and labs to collect personal belongings could be seen lugging boxes to their cars. Others learned they’d been terminated when they arrived for work to find their badges deactivated.
Among those who lost their jobs were people working on bird flu, brain research, chronic disease and reproductive health. The leaders who oversaw new drug reviews and tobacco policy were removed from their positions. A few days earlier, Peter Marks, the medical doctor who led the division of the Food and Drug Administration that approves vaccines, insulins and complex injectable medicines, resigned under pressure. “These are people with years of training and expertise, who have oftentimes taken a lower salary because they really believe in the idea of public service,” says Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a left-leaning advocacy group.