‘Reclaim power from unaccountable bureaucracy’: Trump touts early actions against federal workforce in address to Congress

President Donald Trump warned in his first address to Congress of his second term that federal employees who resist his policies will lose their jobs. 

“My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again,” he said 

The speech featured protests from Democrats, including Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who was escorted out of the chamber for interrupting the address. 

Trump’s mention of the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency, which has led to mass firings and layoffs of federal employees, elicited cheers from Republicans and boos from Democrats. 

“Everybody here, even this side, appreciates it. I believe they just don’t want to admit that,” Trump said about Democrats, who remained mostly seated throughout the approximately one hour and 40 minute speech. 

The president listed examples of wasteful spending that DOGE has spotlighted. 

“Many more have been found out and swiftly terminated by a group of very intelligent, mostly young, people headed up by Elon, and we appreciate it,” Trump said. “We found hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud.” 

DOGE has made numerous mistakes reporting how much spending it has cut, causing it to reduce the amount of savings it has apparently generated by billions of dollars.

The president urged Congress to approve additional funding to implement his mass deportation plans. While discussing immigration enforcement, Trump spotlighted Roberto Ortiz, a Border Patrol agent who “has been shot at repeatedly by cartel members” along the southern border, according to a White House press release. 

Trump also touted his federal workforce policies, including a freeze on agency hiring, largely ending remote work and repealing 10 regulations for each new one issued. 

Many Democrats brought terminated federal employees as their guests to the address:

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, brought Michael Missal, the former inspector general for the Veterans Affairs Department who was fired in the purge of the oversight officials near the start of Trump’s second term. 
• Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., brought Jason King, a disabled veteran from Fairfax who was removed from his position at the Federal Aviation Administration. Terminations of probationary employees at the agency have been criticized in light of recent high-profile plane accidents.
• Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., brought Chris Wicker, an Air Force veteran who was fired from his job at the Small Business Administration, rehired and then fired again.