Dean estimated that the lay-offs would have a “significant impact” on the local economy, as each IRS employee directly supports another 1.5 jobs in the community. “It’s a big deal,” he said.
Local businesses could suffer, too, as federal workers who lose their jobs cut back on spending, he added. “It’s not just the direct impact,” he said. “It’s the indirect impact as well.”
As workers worry about their futures, some are considering leaving Ogden altogether, Torrie said. “There are people looking for jobs all over,” she said. “People don’t want to stay in a city where their jobs are not secure.”
Jeremy, who is himself considering early retirement, said he had been shocked by the lack of support from local political leaders. “It’s a tragedy,” he said. “This is the city that helped win World War Two, and now we’re being treated like we’re disposable.”
For now, the workers are left hoping that their representatives in Washington will be able to persuade Musk to reconsider his cuts. “We’re at his mercy,” Torrie said. “We just hope that someone can make him see sense.”
“Jika Anda hanya melihat Weber County, di mana fasilitas sebenarnya [IRS] berada, itu sekitar 6 persen dari keseluruhan pekerjaan di daerah tersebut.”
Pekerja di luar gedung federal di Ogden melakukan protes terhadap pemotongan pekerjaan © Kim Raff/FT
Namun sedikit dari rekan-rekan Kirkpatrick yang hadir di aksi protes. “Kami semua agak gugup, kami semua menjadi target,” katanya.
Rick, seorang veteran lokal, mengatakan dia setuju bahwa pemerintah memerlukan reformasi. “Akan selalu ada sesuatu yang perlu diperbaiki,” katanya. Namun, dia mengkritik cara Doge menghadapi pemecatan ini. Banyak karyawan IRS di Ogden yang memilih Trump, tambahnya, tetapi “mereka tidak tahu kekacauan apa yang akan dia bawa”.
Pengadilan federal baru-baru ini memerintahkan pengembalian karyawan percobaan, termasuk di Ogden, tetapi mereka mungkin tidak dapat mencegah pemotongan yang lebih komprehensif yang direncanakan oleh Doge di IRS dan tempat lain.
“Cabang yudisial telah membantu kami,” kata Daniel Martinez, seorang pembicara dalam aksi protes Sabtu. “Kami membutuhkan Kongres untuk bertindak untuk kami juga.”
Visualisasi data oleh Martin Stabe