How Trump is making America sick with 'highly detrimental' policies

12 March

'Callous': Getting fired by Musk 'wasn't the kind of change' these Trump voters had in mind

Liberal economist and former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is warning that President Donald Trump's economic policies — from gutting the federal workforce to mass deportations to aggressive tariffs on U.S. allies — could trigger a painful economic downturn. And Krugman isn't alone in saying that: the Washington Post, on March 9, reported that some CEOs fear that putting so many government employees out of work will hurt the private sector.

The Post's article detailed the economic results of the mass layoffs of federal workers that are being carried out by the Trump Administration with the help of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But in an article published by Salon on March 12, Anthony Estreet — CEO of the National Association of Social Workers — emphasizes that the layoffs will also make the United States' "mental health crisis" even worse.

"Consider the human cost of the (Trump) Administration's mass culling of federal workers," Estreet explains. "Some experts estimate that nearly a half-million federal workers could be laid off within the next two years. That's roughly 20 percent of the federal workforce. It would represent the largest mass firing in American history."

Estreet continues, "Certain regions of the country — like the Washington, D.C., area — are especially vulnerable to economic disruption. But there are 35 states with at least one county where close to 5 percent of civilian employees are federal workers. By the time the long-term effects of these firings filter through our society, the Trump Administration will be long gone."

The National Association of Social Workers CEO goes on to describe the link between economic pain and mental health.

"Researchers have investigated just this kind of mass firing event, like a factory closure where an entire workforce is shown the door at the same time," Estreet notes. "Nearly all of those fired workers experienced mental health declines. The longer their unemployment lasts, the worse they fared. Even without serious financial strain — if a spouse, for example, has secure employment — losing a job can be highly detrimental to mental health."

Estreet adds, "Removing a person's daily routine as well as their sense of purpose and identity can seriously undermine their sense of self."

Estreet points out that the United States "is already experiencing a mental health crisis," from increasing "suicide rates" to alcoholism to "deaths by drug overdose" — and warns that Trump's economic policies will exacerbate these problems.

"Some 29 million people are struggling with alcohol use disorder," Estreet writes. "Putting hundreds of thousands of federal employees out of work will only make such mental health challenges more prevalent."

Anthony Estreet's full article for Salon is available at this link.

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