100 Harms in 100 Days The first hundred days of President Donald Trump’s second administration delivered an onslaught of executive orders, personnel directives and funding freezes across the entirety of the federal government in the name of efficiency. But what is happening is anything but efficient. Instead, the administration’s actions to arbitrarily shrink government programs and the workforce are disrupting services relied on by individuals, businesses and communities across the country. There can and should be a conversation about the size of the federal government. But what is at stake now is not about big government or small government, but about a government that works for the people. There is no question that our government needs reform and modernization, but it needs to be done deliberatively, with the foundational principles that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, services are delivered effectively and those services are delivered by an apolitical and expert civil service that is beholden to public trust. The administration’s haphazard and steep cuts to federal personnel and expenditures have decimated long-standing endeavors with broad bipartisan support, such as keeping our country on the cutting edge of medical science and ensuring that the Social Security Administration delivers on benefits owed. Our citizens expect that our government will work 24 hours a day to protect our national security, economic well-being and public health. And they don’t want politics to get in the way. Our survey research has shown that: 54% of respondents to an online survey oppose “the changes made to the federal government by the Trump administration.” Over 2/3 of respondents are concerned that changes to the federal workforce could have a negative impact on Social Security benefits or health care. 64% of respondents are worried about the loss of experience and knowledge that could occur if a lot of federal workers lose their jobs.1 The following are a series of harms caused by the slash-and-burn attacks on our government in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term. The breadth of the stories demonstrates the many ways that a well-functioning federal government supports every aspect of American life and the harms that occur when its work stops abruptly. This is not a complete list of actions taken in the first 100 days of this administration, but in ways big and small, the cumulative impact caused by these actions will be felt by communities, sectors and individuals across the country. Note: This page compiles news stories from a variety of sources. To the best of the Partnership’s knowledge, these stories are up to date as of publication, but new federal directives, judicial rulings and other events may occur that change the status, scope, or other aspects of the stories below. Filter Filter by topic Clear April 23, 2025 DOGE’s disregard for data practices at the Social Security Administration forced thousands to deal with hurdles of being mistakenly declared “dead” Source: The Washington Post At the Social Security Administration, the Department of Government Efficiency’s reclassification of records to remove immigrants and extremely elderly individuals from the Social Security rolls blew past the agency's strict data safeguards and led to frequent errors. Those mistakenly declared dead have seen their bank accounts closed, tax returns rejected, benefits coverage stopped, and credit histories and voter registrations erased. Undoing these mistakes creates huge hurdles for those who must prove they are alive to everyone from credit companies to employers. Public Services and Benefits “It has been the bane of my existence. …It wasn’t just unclicking the 'dead' box.” — Richard VanMetter, on being mistakenly declared dead “For people erroneously recorded as dead, the consequences are severe.” — Tiffany Flick, former Social Security employee April 17, 2025 Federal funding cuts inhibit local measles responses as case counts rise Source: CNN Measles cases recently passed 650 across several states, but federal cuts pulled back public health grants related to COVID-19 that state and local health officials have also used to respond to the outbreak. From cancelled immunization clinics to layoffs of staff overseeing vaccine efforts, states now are shifting internal resources and requesting more funding from the federal government. Health “We still have to be able to do all of our other public health work, so it does become a strain on the system.” — Katherine Wells, Lubbock Public Health director “In situations of scarcity where you have limited funding available for health overall, that’s going to place more and more pressure on those other disease areas that really have nothing to do with measles.” — Dr. Bryan Patenaude, associate professor of health economics at Johns Hopkins University April 17, 2025 Food quality testing suspended due to staff cuts at Food and Drug Administration Source: Reuters A quality control program for food testing laboratories was paused because staff cuts reduced capacity among its food safety division after 20,000 employees were terminated and/or left the Department of Health and Human Services. This program ensures accuracy and consistency across the agency's network of labs preventing food-borne illness, like those caused by the Cyclospora parasite in spinach or a pesticide in barley. Programs to improve testing for bird flu have also been suspended because of staff cuts. Agriculture Health “These [testing programs] are critical to demonstrating the competency and readiness of our laboratory network to detect and respond to food safety and food defense events.” — Food Emergency Response Network email addressing staff reductions April 16, 2025 Contract cancellations upend malnutrition aid abroad, business plans of US producers Source: The Atlantic Producers, coordinators and distributors of a malnutrition supplement hailed as "the singular public health achievement of the last few decades" say that the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development broke every step of the process, from manufacturing and purchasing to shipping overseas and delivering the treatment to starving children. The regime regularly saves the lives of millions of children worldwide and U.S. producers have thousands of units ready for sale, but no way to sell it or ensure its delivery to those that need it. Health National Security and International Affairs “All we’re doing is cutting farmers and hurting kids. That just seems like a terrible plan to me.” — Mark Moore, CEO of Mana Nutrition “In three months, half of them will be dead.” — Dr. Mark Manary, lead of the Plumpy'Nut clinical trials, describing what will happen if malnourished children lose access to emergency therapeutic food April 14, 2025 Staff responsible for enforcing penalties on tobacco sales to minors laid off, then asked to come back as temporary volunteers Source: Politico At the Food and Drug Administration, dozens of staff enforcing penalties on retailers that illegally sell cigarettes and vapes to minors were cut, then asked to return as temporary volunteers when the agency's tobacco enforcement efforts effectively stopped. Typically, the FDA files over 100 complaints a week against retailers that repeatedly sell tobacco to customers under 21. Those asked to return still expect to be permanently terminated on June 2, 2025. Health “You could not have done a better job of eliminating tobacco enforcement than by doing this.” — FDA tobacco enforcement official “It’s a prescription for allowing retailers to roll the dice and sell to minors with less concern that they will ever be caught.” — Mitch Zeller, former head of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products April 6, 2025 Major breakthroughs in cancer treatments delayed by layoffs at the National Institutes for Health Source: The Washington Post Delivery of a "remarkable" new treatment developed by the National Institutes of Health that uses a person's immune cells to fight gastrointestinal cancer was delayed for patients because of layoffs at the agency. The team developing this treatment worries about future staff losses, as well as additional challenges with travel and purchasing materials that they need to continue their work. Health “It’s one thing that seems unfair: Why would a metastatic cancer patient need any more stress? Why slow down the research when cancer rates are on the rise, particularly with young people under 50?” — Natalie Phelps, cancer patient under care at the NIH Clinical Center March 27, 2025 Unclear DOGE orders for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid blocked disaster relief funds for victims in North Carolina, Florida, Hawaii Source: The New York Times The Department of Government Efficiency’s confusing directions on stopping aid to undocumented immigrants froze Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster funding meant for states, local governments and nonprofit organizations supporting disaster relief for hurricane victims in North Carolina and Florida, and wildfire victims in Hawaii. Individuals in these communities said that without the funds, they will be forced to go into debt or lay off staff. Finance, Business and the Economy Public Safety “There are projects beyond our ability to address on our own. We have followed the rules. But the system is not working.” — Damián J. Fernández, president of Warren Wilson College March 22, 2025 IRS officials expect a 10% drop in tax revenue partially due to turmoil caused by the Department of Government Efficiency Source: The Washington Post Officials expect an unusually high number of taxpayers to skip or cheat on tax filings because of a decreased fear of an audit after the internal upheaval at the IRS. Some audits of high-value taxpayers have already been dropped by the IRS because the internal resources were needed elsewhere. Finance, Business and the Economy “Aggressive reductions to budget and personnel capacity risk backlogs, delays, reduced receipts and diminished capacity to build next-generation digital capabilities.” — a January IRS presentation to incoming Trump officials, according to reporting from The Washington Post March 20, 2025 Food banks across the country are scrambling after funding for $500 million in food shipments was frozen Source: The New York Times Department of Agriculture-funded programs support distribution of produce, poultry and other food items to needy individuals across the country, but this funding is now frozen. Food banks have little time to find alternate resources and worry they will run short, especially in rural communities. Agriculture Public Services and Benefits “Any circumstance that would cause even a modest increase in demand at food distributions will result in a food crisis.” — Vince Hall, chief of government relations for Feeding America “It’s really hard to make up that volume that C.C.C. (Commodity Credit Corporation) had been providing, especially at a time when the need is so great.” — Danny Faccinetti, vice president of Oregon Food Bank March 18, 2025 Workforces responsible for protecting and maintaining public lands are cut Source: The New York Times Layoffs at the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put these agencies' ability to maintain public lands at risk. The Bureau of Land Management alone manages nearly one-tenth of the land area of the country. These agencies’ employees clear trails, manage bookings and clean public toilets to maintain the visitor experience and preserve the lands and wildlife for future generations to enjoy. Environment and Public Land Public Safety “As long as we don’t have wildfires, major flood events or windstorms, it might be easy to say everything’s fine. But a year from now, these things start to add up.” — Mary Erikson, retired forest supervisor at Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana March 17, 2025 DOGE-prompted departures of top experts at the National Nuclear Security Administration risk setbacks to U.S. nuclear safety, security and superiority Source: The New York Times Buyouts and firings at the National Nuclear Security Administration resulted in the loss of experts on issues such as arms control, the safe transportation of nuclear materials, and the maintenance and modernization of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. Employees with technical expertise and the highest level of top-secret security clearances are not easy to replace, and turnover in leadership introduces instability in critical national security positions at a time of increased tensions and competition with Russia and China. Infrastructure and Transportation National Security and International Affairs “These were very accomplished, very successful, very well-trained people who were performing complex, niche jobs.” — Scott Roecker, vice president of the nuclear materials security program at the Nuclear Threat Initiative “We were already understaffed there…because how do you get people with extremely advanced security skills to be able to defend a nuclear weapon on the road and are willing to be long-haul truckers?” — Corey Hinderstein, former NNSA deputy administrator for nonproliferation March 7, 2025 Firings at weather agencies threaten the reliability of routine and extreme weather forecasting Source: ABC News Hundreds of employees were fired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with many of the cuts coming from within the National Weather Service. These agencies are responsible for forecasting hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, wildfires and other dangerous weather events and were already short-staffed. The cuts impact not only the scientific personnel, but also operational staff like those responsible for communicating to the public about dangerous events. Public Safety Science and Technology “Hundreds of operational personnel who usually staff the 122 NWS forecast offices, 13 River Forecast Centers, and two tsunami warning centers will disappear overnight.” — Richard Hirn, general counsel of the National Weather Service Employees Organization February 27, 2025 Preventing another financial crisis gets harder due to cuts of regulatory staff Source: NPR By insuring deposits up to $250,000, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation protects consumers and businesses from losing their money if a bank fails. But a cut to the agency's workforce jeopardizes its ability to prevent bank failures in the first place. About 500 employees accepted the administration’s deferred resignation offer and over 200 job offers to new examiners were rescinded. Examiners are the front-line employees who monitor banks for early signs of problems, and having too few examiners is already cited as reason why the collapse of Signature Bank in 2023 wasn't caught before it failed. Finance, Business and the Economy “This administration is really sowing the seeds for the next financial crisis.” — Mayra Rodríguez Valladares, financial risk consultant April 23, 2025 Justice Department cancels grants supporting crime victims, violence prevention, addiction services Source: The Washington Post The Justice Department canceled millions in grants to state and local governments funding programs that provided everything from mental health resources for local police to opioid death prevention to a hotline connecting crime victims to support services. Many grants were canceled in the middle of their funding periods, which is likely to create major funding shortfalls for critical work. Public Safety “In light of the cancellation of our grant, and as many other organizations in the same situation, we face the potential of having to close our doors.” — Susan Rhoades, CEO of Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment, a nonprofit organization that supports Survivors.org April 23, 2025 Firefighting capacity reduced by staff cuts at the National Forest Service, sparking fears ahead of wildfire season Source: Politico At the U.S. Forest Service, where 75% of employees at the Forest Service have wildland firefighting training, staff cuts reduced the agency's firefighting capacity. There will be fewer employees preventing and responding to fires across the 193 million acres of lands managed by the agency during this summer's wildfire season. Local officials worry they will not be able to compensate for this loss, especially since fires frequently cross legal boundaries. Environment and Public Land Public Safety “Are we going to have the people to respond? That’s a huge threat. I’m extremely concerned. Fire is on everyone’s mind.” — Melanie Kebler, mayor of Bend, Oregon “[The chaos] caused us to spend time and attention focused on trying to figure out how to get our grants, instead of doing the work of them.” — Dave Upthegrove, Washington state lands commissioner April 23, 2025 DOGE’s disregard for data practices at the Social Security Administration forced thousands to deal with hurdles of being mistakenly declared “dead” Source: The Washington Post At the Social Security Administration, the Department of Government Efficiency’s reclassification of records to remove immigrants and extremely elderly individuals from the Social Security rolls blew past the agency's strict data safeguards and led to frequent errors. Those mistakenly declared dead have seen their bank accounts closed, tax returns rejected, benefits coverage stopped, and credit histories and voter registrations erased. Undoing these mistakes creates huge hurdles for those who must prove they are alive to everyone from credit companies to employers. Public Services and Benefits “It has been the bane of my existence. …It wasn’t just unclicking the 'dead' box.” — Richard VanMetter, on being mistakenly declared dead “For people erroneously recorded as dead, the consequences are severe.” — Tiffany Flick, former Social Security employee April 22, 2025 Administration’s firing of immigration judges expected to exacerbate deportation case backlogs Source: NPR Source: Newsweek The Justice Department fired 20 immigration judges in the Executive Office for Immigration Review in addition to laying off or firing more members of the court staff. Immigration judges each review between 500 and 700 cases a year and decide on asylum and deportation claims. The current backlog of over 3.7 million cases in these courts, which already take years for some, is expected to worsen with fewer judges. National Security and International Affairs “It means that a whole lot of people will get a chance to stay here a lot longer. That's what this means: Fewer judges mean slower cases, slower dockets, people will linger on dockets longer, and they will get to stay here longer.” — LaToya McBean Pompy, immigration attorney April 21, 2025 Deep staff cuts halt research on black lung in coal miners and cancer deaths of firefighters Source: Reuters Source: ProPublica At least two-thirds of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health were notified that they are or will be laid off, freezing much of its work. In one office, seven of the eight members of a team investigating firefighter deaths across the country. In others, teams relocating coal miners with black lung to safer jobs and testing miners for lung disease at mines have seen their work come to a halt. Health Public Safety “It’s going to be devastating to miners. Nobody is going to be monitoring the mines.” — Anita Wolfe, former NIOSH employee “It’s pretty damn appalling that we’d be trying to diminish the health benefits for our firefighters and first responders.” — a U.S. Forest Service firefighter April 18, 2025 State and local health departments lose access to data tracking the spread of viral hepatitis as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labs shut down Source: The Washington Post Layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services included scientists at labs that investigate the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. As a result, lab work shut down at the only facility in the country with the capability to both test and track the spread of viral hepatitis outbreaks. Viral hepatitis kills thousands of Americans every year, and understanding outbreaks is key to preventing more cases. Another lab that shut down due to layoffs was one of three in the world, and the only in the U.S., with the capability to test for antibiotic resistance in a different sexually transmitted disease strain. The findings are the basis for updating recommendations to doctors on how to treat the disease and help patients avoid serious, long-term health consequences. Health Science and Technology “CDC cannot focus on infectious disease prevention and response without all CDC laboratories being intact and fully supported.” — Scott Becker, chief executive of the Association of Public Health Laboratories “The CDC lab was capable of showing the genetic linkage between isolates of virus…and that helps you control it from public health policy. It helps you understand how and where disease is spreading, how the virus is evolving.” — Judith Feinberg, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at West Virginia University April 17, 2025 Office setting guidelines for benefits eligibility for millions is cut at Department of Health and Human Services Source: CNN Staff reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services included more than two-thirds of the staff that determines eligibility guidelines for whether at least 80 million Americans qualify for Medicaid, food assistance, child care and other programs. The department has legal obligations to issue these guidelines, and not providing them would likely impact distribution of these critical services. Health Public Services and Benefits “There’s literally no one in the government who knows how to calculate the guidelines. And because we’re all locked out of our computers, we can’t teach anyone how to calculate them.” — Robin Ghertner, former director of the Division of Data and Technical Analysis at HHS April 17, 2025 Food quality testing suspended due to staff cuts at Food and Drug Administration Source: Reuters A quality control program for food testing laboratories was paused because staff cuts reduced capacity among its food safety division after 20,000 employees were terminated and/or left the Department of Health and Human Services. This program ensures accuracy and consistency across the agency's network of labs preventing food-borne illness, like those caused by the Cyclospora parasite in spinach or a pesticide in barley. Programs to improve testing for bird flu have also been suspended because of staff cuts. Agriculture Health “These [testing programs] are critical to demonstrating the competency and readiness of our laboratory network to detect and respond to food safety and food defense events.” — Food Emergency Response Network email addressing staff reductions April 17, 2025 Federal funding cuts inhibit local measles responses as case counts rise Source: CNN Measles cases recently passed 650 across several states, but federal cuts pulled back public health grants related to COVID-19 that state and local health officials have also used to respond to the outbreak. From cancelled immunization clinics to layoffs of staff overseeing vaccine efforts, states now are shifting internal resources and requesting more funding from the federal government. Health “We still have to be able to do all of our other public health work, so it does become a strain on the system.” — Katherine Wells, Lubbock Public Health director “In situations of scarcity where you have limited funding available for health overall, that’s going to place more and more pressure on those other disease areas that really have nothing to do with measles.” — Dr. Bryan Patenaude, associate professor of health economics at Johns Hopkins University April 16, 2025 AmeriCorps discharges thousands of volunteers in program that supports domestic disaster recovery Source: AP AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps discharged all its volunteers as a result of Department of Government Efficiency cuts. Each year, over 2,000 young adult volunteers serve in this program and are assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support projects with nonprofit and community organizations, including in the wake of disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Helene. Public Safety Public Services and Benefits “All of Vinton should never forget what a great program, filled with great people, this has been for not only Vinton but every community that benefited from their mission.” — Bud Maynard, mayor of Vinton, Iowa, which houses a regional National Civilian Community Corps campus 1 The Partnership for Public Service recently completed an online survey of 1,000 Americans from March 13-16, 2025 from a panel maintained by Prodege. While it is not a random, nationally representative sample, the Partnership used quota sampling techniques to resemble the demographic makeup of the U.S.
