Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), recently called out the Trump administration for spreading what he called “misinformation” about the size of the government.
Kelley was responding to the narrative that the government is “too big” and needs to be downsized. He appeared on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Thursday to discuss a federal judge’s ruling that ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of probationary workers who had lost their jobs in a recent wave of firings. Kelley’s union was one of the organizations behind the lawsuit that led to this ruling.
During the interview, Tapper asked Kelley what he would say to those who argue that the government has grown “too big” and is “too bloated,” needing to be cut down in size. Kelley quickly rejected this claim, calling it “false” and stating that the size of the federal government has not increased in decades. He explained that while the country’s population has significantly grown, the number of federal employees has stayed the same.
“I think that’s misinformation,” Kelley said. “And this administration is very good at putting out false information. The government today is the same size it was in the ‘70s. The population has exploded, but the amount of federal workers has not. So that’s just false information about it being too big. It’s the same size as it was in the ’70s.”
Kelley, who has been outspoken in his criticism of efforts to reduce federal spending, also targeted Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to cut federal agencies, employees, and overall spending. Earlier this year, Kelley condemned Musk’s approach, which required employees to list five accomplishments every week or risk losing their jobs. He described this as disrespectful to federal workers, especially veterans serving in civil service roles.
“It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life,” Kelley said.
Despite Kelley’s strong criticism, a recent CBS/YouGov poll found that a majority of Americans, 54%, believe that Elon Musk and DOGE should have some influence over government spending and operations. This poll suggests that while Kelley’s position is not universally shared, many Americans still support efforts to cut government spending and make federal operations more efficient.
The debate over the size and efficiency of the federal government continues to be a hot topic in the U.S., with strong opinions on both sides. Critics of the government argue that it has become too large and wasteful, while defenders like Kelley maintain that it has not grown as claimed and that the focus should instead be on protecting the jobs of federal workers.
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