My friend’s daughter is a provisional federal employee. She works for the USDA and loves her job. Like thousands of other recent hires across the federal government, she is awaiting her termination notice from the Trump administration. I can only imagine what she and her family must be going through.

It is estimated that over 200,000 provisional employees will be terminated. I am certain that some of them believed in and voted for President Trump. Are these citizens now embracing their pending unemployment? Do they see their losses as necessary for a better American future? I wonder.

The brutal fact is that Trump lied about his intentions. He played to the worries and fears that many Americans share. His “I will fix it” promises fueled hope. Actions speak louder than words, however, and there are a lot of these to digest.

Trump’s executive orders of the past month are clear: his “fix” is to create mass disruption, uncertainty, conflict, discrimination, high prices and generalized pain. He believes that a “phoenix” of American greatness will rise from the ashes. Perhaps so, but I doubt we will see much of this greatness in the next four years. Our collective challenge is survival.

Tom Meuser
Portland