Trump’s War on Civil Servants: Excellence Is Now a Liability

The Partnership for Public Service’s annual Sammies awards, once a bipartisan celebration of federal employees who excel at their jobs, have become a casualty of the Trump administration’s assault on the civil service. Where former Presidents Bush and Biden once lent their support, this year’s ceremony was marked by a sharp decline in participation and nominations. Only four awards were given out in 2026, down from 19 the previous year, with several Cabinet members refusing to even nominate candidates.

This chilling drop is no accident. Last year alone, the Trump administration fired or forced out 317,000 civil servants, many of them the very employees who dared to stand up to political appointees like Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Dave Lebryk, last year’s “Federal Employee of the Year,” was ousted for denying Musk’s team access to the government’s payment system—a move that earned him praise from his peers but wrath from the administration.

White House budget director Russell Vought, a key architect of the so-called Project 2025 plan to remake the federal government into an authoritarian tool, openly declared his desire to “traumatize” bureaucrats so they dread going to work. This toxic atmosphere has bred a “culture of fear and subbasement morale,” according to Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

The fallout is staggering. The federal workforce, already leaner than it was 50 years ago, has been hollowed out further—especially outside the defense sector where Musk and Vought focused their purges. The loss of experienced, dedicated civil servants is not just a blow to government efficiency but a national security risk. As journalist Grace Segers noted, the botched handling of the conflict with Iran is partly due to the absence of seasoned staff who have been fired or forced out.

This purge isn’t about incompetence. Incompetent employees tend to keep their heads down. Instead, Trump’s team has targeted those who resist political interference and stand for integrity. The result is a government stripped of its best talent and a public service system that rewards compliance over competence.

Even celebrated public servants like Jarod Koopman of the IRS, known for prosecuting major cybercrime cases, find their work undone by presidential pardons and political interference. Ross Ulbricht, the “Dread Pirate Roberts” convicted of drug trafficking, was pardoned by Trump on the grounds that those who convicted him were “lunatics” tied to a government weaponization campaign.

Meanwhile, journalists who expose these abuses face intimidation. The FBI’s raid on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home after her series on civil servant harassment sends a clear message: speaking truth to power under this administration carries grave risks.

The Trump administration’s war on civil servants is not just an attack on individuals—it is an assault on the very institutions that uphold democracy and effective governance. In this environment, being good at your job is no longer safe. It is a liability.