(Washington, D.C., 3/7/2025) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), the nation’s umbrella group of Muslim associations, today expressed deep concern about the harmful impact that President Trump and Elon Musk’s abrupt and indiscriminate firings of federal workers, selective cuts to federal spending, and attempts to dismantle public services dedicated to protecting Americans from fraud, travel dangers, food contamination and environmental threats.
USMCO called on the Trump administration to drop “fake populism” and focus on true excesses of government spending, starting with the bloated Pentagon budget and billions in American taxpayer dollars sent to support dictatorships and war criminal governments overseas.
In the five weeks since Trump assumed office, Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has attempted to indiscriminately fire thousands of federal workers en masse, including workers in critical agencies. Nearly 80 percent of these terminated government employees are our neighbors who (no longer) work serving the common public.
The result is not only a sudden swelling of the unemployed but also threats to the essential public services – like healthcare, consumer protection, fair housing cases, and immigration processing. So far, DOGE has completely ignored even massive government spending on expenditures that do nothing to help the American people, such as the Israeli government’s war crimes.
USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal said in a statement:
“If President Trump and Elon Musk are serious about improving government efficiency and saving money, they should target the bloated Pentagon budget and immediately stop wasting billions in American taxpayer dollars on foreign dictatorships and war criminal governments. Instead, the Trump administration is targeting federal workers and public services that help protect consumers from fraud, travelers from threats while flying, shoppers from dangers in the food chain, and all Americans from environmental harm.
“President Trump ran as a populist fighting for the American people, but he is letting Elon Musk target public servants and dismantle public services critical to protecting the American people. A populist government would not make it easier for corporations to milk government through taxpayer-funded subsidies while abusing, defrauding and endangering Americans without fear of federal oversight.
“President Trump and DOGE must refocus spending cuts on the true excesses of the government, starting with spending on war, dictatorships and war criminal governments overseas, including the Israeli government. The administration should also rehire public servants and reconstruct those aspects of federal infrastructure dedicated to serving and protecting the American people.”
We pray for the protection of the American people and the guidance of our nation.
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