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cover of episode Sarah Vowell and Dave Eggers Celebrate Public Servants in ‘Who is Government’

Sarah Vowell and Dave Eggers Celebrate Public Servants in ‘Who is Government’

2025/3/19
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Stephen Fowler: 我是NPR的政治记者，报道联邦政府的重组。最近几周，几乎每个联邦机构都采取了各种行动，其中一项是解雇试用期雇员。原告和法官认为，这些解雇违反了既定程序。政府已对裁决提出上诉，但与此同时，数万名员工被要求复职，尽管许多人处于带薪行政休假状态，他们的工作和未来仍然不确定。一些机构已经开始制定计划，以应对政府要求的大规模减员。这包括让符合条件的员工提前退休或接受买断，以及裁撤整个办公室。这一过程复杂且混乱，对员工造成了巨大的精神压力和不确定性。 Dave Eggers: 我写了一篇关于NASA喷气推进实验室的文章。我认识很多在华盛顿工作的公务员，他们为政府奉献了几十年，却每天都担心自己会不会丢掉工作。迈克尔·刘易斯在一年前提出了这个项目，旨在重新教育人们，让他们理解并正确评价为政府工作的人。我们没想到这个项目会如此具有预见性。看到政府的混乱和无差别裁员，令人难过。 Sarah Vowell: 我写了一篇关于国家档案馆的文章。政府是一个庞大而复杂的系统，它做了很多复杂的事情，比如防止恐怖主义和野火。很多人不了解政府的规模和工作内容。这个项目的目的是找到一个联邦雇员，解释他们的工作。现在发生的事情让我们了解了政府为我们所做的事情。 Linda: 我经常使用美国地质勘探局（USGS）的网站，这是一种只有政府才能提供的服务，因为维护传感器网络没有足够的利润。政府的决定破坏了政府以合理成本提供服务的这一事实。我认识的联邦、州和地方政府的工作人员都很努力，他们相信自己的工作。人们认为这些工作人员是不必要的，这忽略了我们现在是一个拥有4.3亿人口的国家，我们需要一个庞大的系统来运作。 Listener: 我在退伍军人事务部工作了11年，为退伍军人的心理健康服务。但这个政府对我们充满了敌意和轻蔑，我担心我的团队无法生存下去。

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Chapters
This chapter discusses the Trump administration's attempts to reduce the federal workforce, the legal challenges to these actions, and the impact on federal workers. It includes details on court orders reinstating fired employees and the ongoing efforts to reduce staff across various agencies.
  • Trump administration's attempts to slash the federal workforce
  • Legal challenges and court orders reinstating fired employees
  • Ongoing efforts to reduce staff across various agencies
  • Impact on federal workers

Shownotes Transcript

Who is the Government? Dave Eggers and Sarah Vowell attempt to answer that question in essays about the scientists who discover new planets at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and the archivists who safeguard the nation’s historical record. They’re both featured in the new anthology, “Who is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service.” We talk to Vowell and Eggers about the civil servants who make up what their editor Michael Lewis calls “the vast, complex system Americans pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss and celebrate.” And we’ll get an update on the legal challenges to the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce. What public servant in your life would you like to celebrate?

Guests:

Dave Eggers, founder, McSweeney's; co-founder, 826 Valencia; author, many books including “The Eyes and the Impossible” and “The Circle”

Sarah Vowell, author, seven nonfiction books including “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States”, “Unfamiliar Fishes" and “Assassination Vacation"

Stephen Fowler, political reporter covering the restructuring of the federal government, NPR

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