Layoffs hit contractors and small businesses as Trump cuts take effect – msn/WaPost
“…Frederic, a project manager for a defense contractor in central Virginia, was laid off this week, along with 70 percent of his team. His special project for the Army was put on hold, he said, making it tough for his employer to keep him on the payroll. ‘I didn’t expect a Trump win to cause me to lose my job, but that’s what happened,’ said Frederic, who spoke on the condition that only his middle name be used to share internal details about his job, because he feared he would lose future employment opportunities. ‘I went from making $140,000 a year to having to tap into my 401(k).'”
As Washington reels from Trump’s first actions, his voters like what they see – msn/WaPost
“PLAINS, Pa. — Behind the counter of the pink-tiled D’s Diner, Tammy Malloy chatted in between serving a late morning wave of tables. The 67-year-old said she had come to work beaming the day after the November election, in which she had voted for Donald Trump. And now, 10 days into Trump’s second presidency, Malloy was still thrilled with what she was seeing happen in Washington. She was particularly pleased with Trump choosing Pete Hegseth, a former weekend Fox News host and Army veteran who was dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse, to lead the Defense Department. Why?
“‘To get rid of the DEI,’ Malloy said, using the acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, a favorite conservative punching bag. ‘There’s two genders. I don’t care if you identify as a monkey, you’re still either a male or female. The last four years shoved it down our throats.’
“But she thought Trump was being too generous in offering resignation deals for federal employees who don’t want to return to work in the office. It’s the only thing so far she’s disliked that Trump has done — a list that includes freezing various federal grant programs in an effort to weed out diversity initiatives and pardoning violent offenders who participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. ‘I can’t work from home,’ Malloy said, standing by the diner’s swinging kitchen door, holding a half-glass of milk, with a black apron tied around her torso…”