Trump Says Many Federal Employees Want Border Security

President Trump said that many federal employees support his effort to build a border wall, but some unions disagree. Where do you stand?

President Trump said this week that many federal employees support his effort to build a wall on the southern border to enhance border security. That effort, of course, has led to a partial government shutdown that has disrupted the jobs of many federal employees.

“They [federal employees] understand what’s happening. They want border security,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Christmas Day after he was asked what message he had for federal workers affected by the shutdown.

He added, “Many of those workers have said to me, communicated, ‘stay out until you get the funding for the wall. These federal workers want the wall.”

Unions Disagree

Federal employee unions were quick to push back on what the president said.

AFGE national president J. David Cox, Sr. said, “They [impacted federal employees] are eager to get back to work. They unequivocally oppose using shutdowns as a means of resolving policy disputes. This is not about a wall. This is about 800,000 real people with real families and real bills to pay.”

NTEU local chapter 254 told FedSmith, “We have not heard that from any of the affected employees we represent.”

But Not All Unions…

There is at least one union that has been generally supportive of President Trump’s efforts on a border wall, however. The National Border Patrol Council has publicly supported a border wall, and the union’s president Brandon Judd said in a recent editorial that building a border wall “is the best way to end the humanitarian crisis on our southern border.”

Which Do You Support?

So what is your opinion? Are you one of the federal employees referenced by the president who supports his effort to fulfill his campaign promise of having a border wall? Or are you one of the federal employees cited by the unions who have said you want the partial government shutdown to come to an end?

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.