To Elon Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency, Hai Binh Nguyen may be another faceless bureaucrat. But to many of her colleagues, she’s a voice for people whose lives and livelihoods are on the line as DOGE continues to slash thousands of jobs from the federal government.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement attorney was one of hundreds of federal employees and supporters who rallied Sunday at San Francisco City Hall to protest what they described as an assault on public services by the Trump administration.
“For years now, we have been demonized. Federal workers have been demonized, our work has been trampled on, and especially in the last two months, Musk and his goons have been touting that what we do does not matter, the services that we provide do not matter,” Nguyen told the crowd.
“But do you know what they’re really saying? What they’re really saying is that the American public does not matter. They’re saying that you do not matter. We are here to tell you that you do matter.”
The “Let Us Work!” rally and solidarity picnic drew federal employees, union reps, and allies concerned about widespread staffing cuts and the impact on essential government services. Many speakers said they were participating in their personal capacities, not as representatives of their agencies.
Several signs addressed the Musk-led effort by name, saying “Keep your DOGE off my CFPB,” “Delete DOGE,” and identifying its members as “dictators, oligarchs, goons and egomaniacs.” One sign noted that “Elon makes 8 million a day in gov contracts … but I’m the waste,” while others identified their holders as a “proud federal worker” or someone hoping to “save the civil service, save the country.”
Andrew Fish, a National Park Service ranger since 2016, described the atmosphere at federal agencies as “absolute hell.”
“I’m also a union representative and a union steward, and just coming in every day and seeing the look of fear and dismay and shock on my coworkers’ faces — it’s really hard,” Fish said. “These are all people that have never been well-funded, but they work so hard every day to keep these parks open and safe for people.”
Several speakers described being placed on administrative leave in early February or facing termination. Jay Smith, a relocation specialist at the Department of Housing and Urban Development since 1998, said workers received emails directing them to stop policy work.
“We just want to provide assistance, to help people with the system, to work through the programs and services that we have, and we’re being prevented from doing that,” Smith said.
Sunday’s event came a few days after a federal judge temporarily reinstated federal workers who had been fired. Nguyen called the court order “a victory” but emphasized that “this is going to be a long fight.”
John Kelley, a registered nurse at the San Francisco VA and Gulf War veteran, expressed concern about privatization efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“They don’t see healthcare as a right — they see it as a business, and they see patients as profit,” Kelley told the crowd. “When they cut VA funding, when they close VA clinics and hospitals, they’re not doing it to make the VA more efficient — they’re doing it to line their pockets.”
Sylvia Norman, president of an American Federation of Government Employees local representing Social Security Administration workers, drove from Fresno to participate. She warned that Americans are already waiting up to eight months for disability decisions due to understaffing.
“Ten thousand new beneficiaries are signing up each day, yet they’re talking about laying off and giving RIFs (reduction-in-force notices) to Social Security workers,” Norman said. “Not everybody has a computer. Not everybody has access to the internet.”
Sarah Russell, who served as director of the San Francisco Federal Executive Board until Feb. 28, described her abrupt termination after 25 years of service with the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I get a call from my boss: ‘Are you checking your email?’ … There’s RIF notices for everybody,” she recounted. “I tried to actually download some work I did in the morning, and I wasn’t able to get into my computer.”
The rally, organized by the Federal Unionist Network in partnership with national unions including AFGE, IFPTE, NFFE, and NTEU, concluded with a solidarity picnic at Civic Center Plaza. Organizers urged attendees to sign up for “rapid response teams” to react to what they called illegal firings.
Russell said she was in a position where she would be able to retire, but said she remained “hopping mad” about attacks on the agency and federal workers.
“We know project management; we know how to play the long game,” she said, drawing raucous cheers and applause. “You messed with the wrong bureaucrats.”