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Episode 1327Feb 11, 2025

Trump’s purge of federal workers and its historical parallels

It’s giving Red Scare.

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 05: Protesters rally outside of the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on February 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. The group of federal employees and supporters are protesting against Elon Musk, tech billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and his aids who have been given access to federal employee personal data and have allegedly locked out career civil servants from the OPM computer systems.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 05: Protesters rally outside of the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on February 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. The group of federal employees and supporters are protesting against Elon Musk, tech billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and his aids who have been given access to federal employee personal data and have allegedly locked out career civil servants from the OPM computer systems.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

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President Donald Trump’s recent steps to remove federal employees is drawing comparisons to government purges during the Red Scare of the 1950s. What’s at stake when government workers are pushed out? We’ll break it down. Plus, we’ll explain why a ruling in one of the lawsuits over Trump’s funding freeze is a biggie. Finally, tell us something good that happened to you lately!

Here’s everything we talked about today: 

Tell us something good that happened to you recently! Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The Team

Trump’s purge of federal workers and its historical parallels