Elon Musk cheers rising DC unemployment as Democrats warn thousands of veterans are among those fired
Elon Musk applauded reports that unemployment is rising rapidly in Washington DC, with thousands of veterans expected to be among those impacted by the wave of federal layoffs.
A recent report from CNBC found that the effects of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are already being felt in Washington, D.C., where unemployment is rising rapidly. As DOGE cuts through the federal workforce, job losses in the nation’s capital continue to climb, with data expected on Thursday that will provide greater insights into the scale at which joblessness is growing in DC and around the country.
In response to the news, Musk posted on X, claiming that this time, the swamp was truly being drained. His comments cast public workers as villains, many of whom lost their jobs simply because they had been employed for less than a year.
During this “probationary period,” federal workers have fewer protections, making them easy targets for DOGE. Though “drain the swamp” is often associated with Trumpism, many non-supporters also believe that corruption in Washington is pervasive and harmful to democracy. However, unlike Musk, they may not see low-level public workers as the source of the problem and instead point to the lobbyists, dark money groups, and corporate interests that leverage their financial influence to gain favor with political leaders.
Veterans caught up in the massive draining event
On Tuesday, the Democratic Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) released a report, highlighting that there were around 6,000 veterans caught up in DOGE’s wave of layoffs. Does Musk see these individuals as part of the swamp? Does the White House? Democratic lawmakers are hoping that the focus on veterans will resonate with the public as it may be harder to convince voters that veterans are not only part of the ‘swamp’ but powerful enough within it that they should be fired.
The federal departments that have seen the greatest number of veterans fired are Defense (2,363), Treasury (676), and Energy (495).
“Republicans are turning their back on them, allowing Musk to fire at least 6,000 veterans and leave them with no way to feed their families or keep a roof over their heads," argued DeLauro. Only time will tell whether this message moves the White House to change course or helps to galvanize greater support for the plight of federal workers.
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