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Wildfires prompt evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey crews battle their own blaze; Iowa town halls find 'empty chairs'; CA groups bring generations together to work on society's biggest problems; PA works to counter Trump clean energy rollbacks.

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Lawmakers from both parties face angry constituents. Some decide to skip town halls rather than address concerned voters and Kentucky considers mandatory Medicaid work requirements.

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Cuts to Medicaid and frozen funding for broadband are both likely to have a negative impact on rural healthcare, which is already struggling. Plus, lawsuits over the mass firing of federal workers have huge implications for public lands.

DOGE, OPM demands shake up federal workers in OH and beyond

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Wednesday, February 26, 2025   

The federal workforce in Ohio numbers more than 83,000 and many say they're reeling after weeks of job cuts and a demand from Elon Musk, his Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Personnel Management for workers to justify their jobs.

Over the weekend, many federal workers received an email asking for "five bullet points" on what they accomplished last week. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has been given the unofficial power to oversee government cuts, said on social media failure to respond would be taken as a resignation. President Donald Trump reiterated the point at a news conference Monday.

Dave, a Department of Veterans Affairs employee who asked not to use his real name, said it has been a stressful time.

"There's definitely a fear, wondering if our work ethics are good enough to remain on staff," Dave observed. "Many of us have responded to the email, so we have followed directions, but it's still that sense of micromanagement that is making us feel very insecure."

Musk and his advisory group have claimed, without sharing evidence, they have uncovered hundreds of billions of dollars in federal employee fraud, including paychecks issued to nonexistent workers. The effort faces legal challenges from unions, businesses and advocacy groups. And several agency managers appointed by President Trump advised their workers not to comply with the email, citing privacy and security concerns.

Dave explained as a person of color who joined the civil service after serving in the military, he is also concerned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are being terminated.

"If two people walk into an office, one person was of color and the other person was not, they probably both have similar qualifications," Dave noted. "But that person of color worked just a slight bit harder. There have been statistics that have proved in the past that they tend to favor the white candidate."

Trump has claimed DEI initiatives intended to help people in less favored groups succeed are themselves a form of discrimination.


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