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Federal Workers Are Not the Villains

civil service federal employment mindfulness at work public health workplace retaliation May 22, 2026

A new peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law gives federal employees language for something many have already felt in their bodies: the current attacks on the civil service are not merely budget disputes. Matt Motta’s article, “‘We Want to Put Them in Trauma,’” begins with Russell Vought’s recorded statement that civil servants should wake up not wanting to go to work and should be “put in trauma.” Motta frames that rhetoric as part of a broader political attack on government health agency authority and the workers who carry it out.

For federal employees, that matters. A hostile workplace is not always limited to one supervisor, one proposed removal, or one retaliatory reassignment. Sometimes the pressure comes from a larger political narrative that casts expertise itself as arrogance. That does not make every employment claim legally actionable, but it does help employees understand why the stress feels so personal.

Expertise Is Not Elitism

Motta’s core point is that attacks on federal health agencies increasingly target the identity and legitimacy of expert civil servants, not just agency budgets. The article appears in a 2026 special issue focused on public health under siege, where other contributors also describe sweeping staff cuts, institutional disruption, and politicization of public health agencies.

Federal employees should be clear about this: expertise is not elitism. An engineer, epidemiologist, benefits specialist, investigator, contracting officer, or safety inspector is not claiming moral superiority. They are doing trained work that the public depends on precisely because most citizens cannot personally verify bridge safety, vaccine surveillance, nuclear waste containment, food inspections, or veterans’ benefits eligibility.

That is the mindfulness lesson here. When someone calls you the villain, pause before absorbing the label. Name what is happening. Separate political projection from professional identity. Then return to the facts: What is your job? What rules govern it? What documentation protects you?

Public Opinion Can Shift, But Your Record Matters Now

The transcript correctly highlights a painful reality: public opinion often constrains attacks on institutions only after people feel the consequences. Motta’s article concludes by discussing communication strategies that may help build public concern about rollbacks to government health agencies and support for the civil servants who staff them.

That means federal employees have two tasks. The public-facing task is to keep explaining what federal work actually does in human terms. The legal task is quieter but just as important: preserve records. Save performance reviews, awards, emails confirming duties, reassignment notices, policy changes, and evidence of inconsistent treatment. If rhetoric turns into a RIF, reassignment, probationary termination, EEO issue, or proposed discipline, contemporaneous documentation matters.

Mindfulness does not mean pretending this is fine. It means staying regulated enough to respond with precision instead of panic. The goal is not to win every online argument. The goal is to protect your nervous system, your record, and your rights while continuing to tell the truth about public service.

Legal Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. While I am a federal employment attorney, this post does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is unique, and legal outcomes depend on specific facts and circumstances.

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