CTA Chief Warns of Government Brain Drain From Trump Purges
CTA CEO Gary Shapiro warned Wednesday of a potential “brain drain” in the federal government should the Donald Trump administration continue its assault on the bureaucracy. The Joe Biden administration lacked enough officials who understood how business works, and Trump's don’t understand government, Shapiro said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar. Unions that represent federal employees, including at the FCC, slammed the latest Trump actions.
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In developments Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management offered to pay through Sept. 30 federal workers who don't want to return to the office, if they resign by Feb. 6. The message was sent through a new system that allows the administration to email all employees simultaneously.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, responded in a release to the deferred resignation offer: “Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government.” The offer “should not be viewed as voluntary,” he said. “Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is clear that the Trump administration's goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to.”
The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents FCC employees, said in a warning labeled “Buyer Beware” on its website: “Make no mistake: this email is designed to entice or scare you into resigning from the federal government,”
Said NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald in an emailed statement: "The OPM documents lack clarity about the exact terms of the offer, making it unreliable." Greenwald added, "We also question whether OPM has the legal authority to use a 'deferred resignation' to put people on extended administrative leave under these circumstances."
"Today we are urging federal employees to reject OPM’s request to voluntarily quit their jobs," Greenwald continued. "The so-called 'deal' is a hostile effort to disparage federal employees, weaken agencies and disrupt the valuable services that these employees provide to the public daily."
At the webinar, Shapiro said, “We’re seeing some radical things coming out” of the Trump administration that could “crush our government expertise that we’ve built up over the years, in ways that we can’t anticipate.” A lot of government “brainpower” and experience “may go away rather suddenly.” There needs to be “a happy balance” between business and the government.
Trade Concerns
Shapiro also repeated concerns that tariffs would harm the companies his organization represents (see 2501070059). The trade issue “is very divisive between the tech industry and the Trump administration right now,” he said. “You want to talk about the digital divide; only wealthier people would be able to afford smartphones and computers … and things like that.” Cooperation between the two parties is “a marriage of shared interests,” he said. “The tech industry wants to do what they do -- to innovate [and] grow the economy.”
Shapiro said his head “is spinning like the Exorcist girl” from all the big announcements the Trump administration made in its first nine days. He agrees with some and not with others. “It’s certainly disruptive, it’s innovative, and it’s terrifying.”
There is no “schism” between big and small tech companies, Shapiro also said, noting that while current CTA Chair Steve Downer is from Amazon, the last two chairs were the head of a startup with three employees and an executive from a venture capital firm that specialized in small companies. “I don’t recall a discussion where the big companies and small companies disagreed on anything,” Shapiro said. “We’re all on the same team.” There was “intense agreement” among CTA members that the Biden FTC was “terrible” in its opposition to big companies buying smaller ones.
Shapiro disputed arguments that the support of Silicon Valley and executives like Elon Musk turned the election for Trump: “I want to remind everyone that Trump did not win in California.” When Trump won in 2016, his top financial supporter was the late Las Vegas mogul Sheldon Adelson, who made his fortune through the tech industry by starting the Comdex trade shows in the late 1970s, Shapiro said.