Jonah Ulmer is currently unemployed. Normally, few would notice if the federal government’s foremost authority on tiny invasive pests was out of a job. After all, he should be replaced. But things are not normal…and I love orange juice.
There’s an ant that feasts on orange leaves, and Ulmer and his USDA coworkers find these ants along with other highly destructive species that hitch rides on perishable goods coming into the country.
If these ants sneak in with future imports, orange juice will become scarce and more expensive. Much worse, the elimination of essential government employees means billions of dollars in economic damage. Think bird flu on steroids or Covid-19 times 1,000, thanks to unplanned, slapdash government downsizing.
Ulmer was fired as part of the Trump administration’s misguided efforts to shrink the federal workforce. According to NBC News, Ulmer was one of thousands of USDA employees let go. According to Ulmer, there isn’t a single person left at USDA with his expertise. We only know this because of the dedicated work of NBC investigative reporter Suzy Khimm.
Remaining USDA and U.S. Customs employees are still inspecting perishable food, but the loss of career USDA staff and expertise means more harmful pests will slip into the U.S. unnoticed. If this is happening at USDA, what are Trump’s haphazard cuts doing to agencies responsible for public health, worker safety, clean air and water, and keeping us safe from threats foreign and domestic?
The feds have been badmouthed by Republicans ever since the Reagan Administration. Right-wing think tanks have been plotting for decades to hollow out the federal government and turn over essential services to private firms. When that happens, billionaires make out like bandits, but the rest of us are exposed to the ravages of late-stage capitalism…private equity firms gone wild and lax oversight of their predatory practices by politicians already in the bag for lobbyists and donors.
Trump is clear that he wants to gut the federal workforce. The consequences won’t be fully realized until Trump is dead or after he has grifted millions from the economy. Remember, Trump is the first president to have a get-out-of-jail-free card courtesy of the most corrupt Supreme Court in history.
Maybe buying a few orange trees and planting a victory garden is a good idea…at least until victory is declared over this authoritarian administration and its Republican toadies.
