Trump Voter Laments 'Devastation' Caused by New Admin After Losing Her Job

Jennifer Piggott who voted for President Donald Trump in last year's election has expressed on Saturday her "devastation" caused by the Trump administration after she recently lost her government job.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment on Saturday afternoon.

Why It Matters

The Trump administration, under Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aims to reduce government costs and the federal workforce. In its first month of operation, it has restructured multiple federal agencies and recommended mass layoffs, sparking backlash and concern from Trump critics, as well as from some Republicans.

Musk has called for sweeping cuts to federal government spending, claiming it should be reduced by up to $2 trillion annually. Supporters say this will boost efficiency and help tackle the national debt, while critics argue it will reduce access to government services.

What To Know

According to Reuters, Piggott, who voted for Trump three times including in the 2024 election, found herself without a job following the administration's cuts to various government agencies in February.

Piggott was among more than 125 employees dismissed last month from the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Service (BFS) in Parkersburg, West Virginia—a town where Trump clinched a resounding victory, securing 70 percent of the vote.

Reuters reported that the sweeping job cuts have since rattled this conservative stronghold, sparking concerns among residents, including Piggott, who are now feeling the brunt of the administration's government-slashing policies.

"I feel a little bit betrayed. There's always that back-and-forth conversation now it's like, 'You knew this was coming,' but we didn't, like, nobody that I've talked to understood the devastation that having this administration in office would do to our lives," Piggott told Reuters.

Her sense of betrayal is shared by others in the community, where according to Reuters, political analysts say signs of a potential backlash are beginning to emerge as some lifelong Republicans are now questioning their unwavering support with economic realities hitting home.

This comes after a recent anti-DOGE protest near the BFS offices drew an unlikely mix of disenchanted Republicans and local Democrats to Parkersburg.

Federal agencies were told in late February they must develop plans to eliminate employee positions under a directive from Trump's administration, setting the stage for a major restructuring of the federal government.

Agencies must submit reduction in force plans by March 13, which would not only lay off employees but permanently eliminate their positions—potentially leading to significant changes in government operations.

At the heart of the directive, agencies are tasked with crafting plans that ensure "better service" for Americans, "increased productivity," a "reduced real property footprint," and a "reduced budget," the February memo states.

Piggott is not the first Trump supporter to question or express disappointment in Trump and his administration.

A United States citizen detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in northern Virginia said earlier this week he is now questioning his vote for Trump.

Jensy Machado, a naturalized citizen, said he was in a car stopped by agents while on his way to work in Manassas, in the D.C. suburbs, where a large-scale immigration enforcement operation took place earlier in the week.

Machado, who said he voted for Trump in November, told NBC News he was on his way to work with two other men when ICE agents stopped them Wednesday morning.

He said the agents were looking for a man with a final order of removal who had given Machado's home address. Machado said he knew no one with that name and offered to show the agents his ID as they had not asked to see any.

"I was telling the officer, if I can give him ID, but he said just keep my hands up, not moving," Machado told the outlet. "After that, he told me to get out of the car and put the handcuffs on me. And then he went to me and said how did I get into this country and if I was waiting for a court date or if I have any case.

"I told him I was an American citizen, and he looked at his other partner like, smiling, like saying, 'Can you believe this guy?' Because he asked the other guy, 'Do you believe him?'"

While ICE agents did eventually release Machado, the other two in the vehicle were taken away. The incident had affected his faith in the president, he said.

"I voted for Trump last election, but, because I thought it was going to be the things, like... just go against criminals, not every Hispanic looking, like, that they will assume that we are all illegals," Machado said.

What People Are Saying

Jennifer Piggott told Reuters on Saturday: "Cutting costs, and waste, and fraud, we love that big picture. I love that big picture, my friends, we were excited about that because it is true. But again, I can't help but go back to the fact that what is the decisions that you're making right now solving in the big picture? So, the concept of voting for that again, voting for Elon Musk essentially to wreck people's lives, I can't do it."

West Virginia University economics professor John Deskins told Reuters on Saturday: "West Virginia is at the very top of the states in terms of the federal workforce as a share of total workforce in the state. So, if the federal layoffs happen, if they hit West Virginia, we stand to suffer a disproportionate share when those jobs disappear, when that income disappears, when that spending leaves the state economy."

Russell Vought, the White House Office of Management and Budget director, wrote in a memo in late February: "The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens. The American people registered their verdict on the bloated, corrupt federal bureaucracy on November 5, 2024 by voting for President Trump and his promises to sweepingly reform the federal government."

What Happens Next?

Residents in Parkersburg are bracing for another round of layoffs, with all government agencies ordered to make plans to cut career staff by this coming Thursday.

This comes as slashes to federal government spending are expected to continue and will need to expand substantially if Musk is to reduce expenditures by anything close to $2 trillion annually.