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There are 2.2 million professional civil servants who keep the federal government functioning from one administration to the next. Just before the election in 2020, I was concerned about the work of civil servants in the post office.
For the first time in my memory, my credit card payment was delayed in the mail. I received a late fee. My call to the credit card company revealed that I was not the only one and they canceled the fee.
The new postmaster general (not a civil service job), appointed by the former president, was decommissioning self-sorting machines, delaying mail delivery. News outlets reported that votes are often ( depending on the state) not counted if mail-in ballots arrive after the deadline.
Civil servants make sure my Social Security check is deposited on time. Civil servants assist the Coast Guard who mark channels and hazards for navigation for our fishermen. Career civil servants are dedicated to following laws of our government, not loyalty to a president. In 1883, the Pendleton Act eliminated the spoils system and introduced a merit-based civil service.
Project 2025, a Republican plan, suggests laws that allow the president to easily fire career civil servants and civil service tests that favor applicants loyal to a president, not to the law.
I am concerned about how Project 2025 would impact the civil service and other laws on which I depend.
Carole Beal
Blue Hill
