He’s been one of the more enthusiastic supporters of the Department of Government Efficiency, routinely celebrating the slew of job cuts overseen by Elon Musk with chainsaw efficiency, such as when he mocked pity over the dismissal of “persnickety librarians” at the National Archives over the holidays.
But now that a friend at the Pentagon appears headed for the unemployment line, Jesse Watters has changed his tune, asking viewers of “The Five” Thursday to be “a little bit less callous” when talking about “DOGE-ing people.”
“I finally found one person I knew who got DOGE’d and hit me in the heart,” Watters told his cohorts on the Fox News show.
The man, who is named Chris, started working for the Pentagon a few months ago and learned that probationary employees were among those on the chopping block for DOGE.
“He texted me and he said, ‘Hey Jesse, this isn’t good. I’m upset. This is really sad.’” said Watters, who just last week lauded Musk as a “corporate turnaround artist, adding that the SpaceX CEO and Trump were “inspiring every American leader to set their standards sky-high.”
Potentially hundreds of thousands of such employees will be impacted. On Feb. 13, the administration ordered agencies to lay off nearly all such workers. According to government data obtained by the AP, 220,000 federal employees had less than a year on the job as of March 2024. Virtually all are expected to be fired.
At the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 1,000 employees were laid off last week. In a statement, the VA stated that all of those who were fired had worked at the department less than two years.
More than 5,000 probationary employees are expected to be ousted by the Department of Health and Human Services. They make up a significant amount of the workforce at virtually every agency, according to the AP.
Another 77,000 federal employees accepted buyout offers that required them to resign immediately in exchange for eight months pay.
And as many as 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were also fired — accidentally. All but 29 are expected to be rehired.
Pleading his friend’s case, Watters said, “This guy’s not a (diversity, equity and inclusion) consultant, he’s not a climate consultant. This guy is a veteran. So when you’re talking about DOGE-ing people, veterans should get priority.”
It’s doubtful Musk will adhere to Watters’ suggestion. The firings have been unplanned and indiscriminate, although worker who have participated in or espoused support for diversity initiatives are as good as gone.
And Musk is far from finished. Next on the chopping block: Federal employees who monitor civil rights and discrimination. It’ll be interesting to see if Watters retains his sympathies when those government workers lose their jobs.
In the meantime, Trump critics had a field day with Watters’ sudden conversion to humanity.
“These people don’t care about any hell that others go through, they only care if it happens to happen to them,” posted one.
“In defense of @JesseBWatters, he is, by in large, a moron,” tweeted another.
Another added, “My brain cannot process the level of disgust I have for Jesse watters rn.”
