Americans are grappling with climbing costs, falling sales and dwindling work as Donald Trump moves to overhaul the federal government and economy.
As the US president pushes forward with an array of controversial policies, from sweeping cuts to blanket tariffs, the Guardian asked US workers how they have been affected. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
Knock-on effects from Trump’s attempt to rapidly shrink the federal government by firing workers, slashing funding and cancelling grants are already reaching the private sector, with workers reporting layoffs, price hikes and supply issues.
Consumer confidence in the US has dropped in March to the lowest level in four years. At least 60,000 federal civil servants have been fired in recent months, in addition to about 25,000 probationary employees who have been ordered by courts to be reinstated.
The federal layoffs have also created challenges in the private sector, with contractors and businesses reliant on federal workers or agencies as customers hit hard.
Joseph Revard of Seattle, Washington, worked at a non-profit which provided support and referrals for mental health, substance abuse and problem gambling, he said – until his position was eliminated due to grant withdrawals from the state health department in response to federal cuts.
“We work with mostly individuals who are on the state Medicaid program,” said Revard, 67. “These are disenfranchised individuals for a large part, who mean nothing to Donald Trump or Elon Musk.”
Another worker, at a copper and brass manufacturing facility in Michigan, said Trump’s aggressive tariff strategy had already caused layoffs and price hikes.
“We have had to raise our prices in order to stay profitable,” they said. “We’ve had a round of layoffs and firings, and we’re expecting more as the economy worsens.”
Leo Robertson, a metal worker in New Orleans, Louisiana, said many of his suppliers had already increased prices due to uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariffs, forcing him to raise prices, too. He has already lost international customers, he said, including a repeat customer in Canada.
“The increase in steel and aluminum tariffs has caused my tools and replacement parts to get even more expensive than they already were,” Robertson said. “My domestic sales have dropped noticeably also, which is understandable, as I’ve had to almost double my prices to keep up with the unstable metals market.
“I lost one particularly large commission for some architectural copper panels because the client could no longer afford the materials cost.”
A worker at a defense contractor in Alabama, meanwhile, said a number of colleagues had opted for early retirement due to the federal funding cuts. “That leaves a backlog of responsibility,” they said. “But with the hiring freeze it just creates more work for the already overworked.”
Amy Wachspress, 70, a semi-retired grant writer based in Portland, Oregon, said their work had dried up through a contractor in Washington DC due to federal funding and grant cuts.
“I have continued to work to make enough money to supplement our income and meet our basic living costs,” she said. “We do nothing extravagant. No travel. Rarely eat out. Modest living. But I am seeing my work dry up. I need to make about $15,000 a year to cover our expenses that go beyond what we can pay using my husband’s pension and our social security.”
Wachspress and her husband are particularly concerned about cuts to social security benefits. Without them, she said, they would lose their house. Her husband relies on Medicare for treating diabetes and several chronic health conditions.
“If we lose Medicare, he will die. So will many, many other people,” she added. “I am personally more sad than anxious. I am grieving for all that we have lost and all that we stand to lose.”
