Military families rocked by Trump’s federal government cuts

The Trump administration’s swift, sweeping cuts to the federal workforce is set to derail the livelihoods of potentially thousands of military families.

The Trump administration’s swift, sweeping cuts to the federal workforce is set to derail the livelihoods of potentially thousands of military families. The turmoil within the military community caused by the recent firings of probationary employees, looming terminations and a rolling series of deadlines for federal employees to return to work should not be surprising. For decades now, the federal government has marketed itself as the employer of choice for military spouses, who are unemployed at five times the national rate despite being more educated than their civilian spouse counterparts. Recent Democratic and Republican presidents have championed their cause, including President Donald Trump, who signed Executive Order 13832 in 2018, encouraging federal agencies to hire military spouses, “tapping into a pool of talented individuals” to “promote the national interest of the United States and the well-being of our military families.” Lawmakers and officials, including Trump, have long accepted the importance of military spouse employment to the financial security of military families, a quarter of whom have experienced food insecurity in recent years, and its potential impacts on national security. Trump’s executive order said his federal military spouse hiring policy would “help retain members of the Armed Forces, enhance military readiness, recognize the tremendous sacrifices and service of the members of our Armed Forces and their families …”