Today I just want to give a shout-out to the folks working for the American people in our nation's various government agencies. These are chaotic times for all of us. We have an executive branch seemingly bent on disrupting if not destroying the fabric of our society. We have vacancies at the head of some agencies and at others, appointees whose stated goal is to subvert their agencies' core mission.
And yet the bureaucrats lower down on the pay scale labor on for their *true* employers, the American people. Some risk their positions to share vital information with the nation through the news media via leaks or via anonymously posted tweets to "rogue" and "alt" Twitter accounts. These provide crucial insights into government workings and misdeeds. Others safeguard data on topics like climate change or animal endangerment that the current administration would like to render invisible.
These servants of the people somehow manage to keep the basic mechanisms of government working amid tremendous chaos and uncertainty. It's not easy saying "No" to the president. It's not easy to speak out when "the boss" is lying to the people. Yet many federal agency employees are stepping up to do just that.
So thank you, forest rangers, park rangers, climate scientists, congressional aides answering angry constituent calls, intelligence officers and analysts, diplomats, statisticians, file clerks, administrators, secretaries, under-undersecretaries of fill-in-the-blank. Know that while you may be unknown, you are not unloved.
Thank you.
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