Editorial: Trump administration decisions have real impacts on real people
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When incidents occur, it is human nature to do two things.
We might empathize, recognizing the hardship others are enduring. We say “I understand,” or, “That could have been me.”
The other reaction is to distance. We watch from behind a mental pane of glass. We don’t have to understand. That could never be us.
That may explain some of the response to firings and upheaval in the federal government. If you do not work for or with the federal government, you can stand back and view it like a car crash on the turnpike. It is unfortunate. It is regrettable. But that is happening to other people.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration released a list of federal properties to close or sell. That hits closer to home and is a reason to pay more attention to actions being taken and the potential impact on everyone’s lives.
The list included three properties in Western Pennsylvania.
There was the William S. Moorhead Federal Building in Downtown Pittsburgh, which houses the local offices of the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command and the Social Security Administration.
There were also Social Security Administration offices in East Liberty and Greensburg. Nine other Pennsylvania buildings were noted for “disposal.”
The list was later deleted. The page now is headlined “non-core property list (coming soon)” and promises to identify “vacant or underutilized federal spaces” for sale.
This could make sense if all federal employees who might have been working remotely had not just been ordered back to the office. But anyone who has ever tried to get an appointment with Social Security knows those spaces are not underutilized.
That is why this isn’t only something that affects the people who work in these “non-core” properties. It also affects senior citizens and the disabled. It affects anyone who might need to deal with tax issues — including settlement of an estate. It affects military veterans and new recruits. It affects people buying their first homes or recovering from disasters.
Maybe you aren’t any of those people. But are you someone who utilizes other services in the area of these buildings? Are you a Pennsylvanian who could be affected by an increase in unemployment?
Pennsylvania is home to 3.34% of the total federal employment rolls. That number might seem small until you realize it totals 62,366 and is the largest employer in the Keystone State. The Department of Defense alone represents 22,734 jobs, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
Then there are the corollary businesses: parking, restaurants, cleaning services and all of the other things that make the building function or support the employees. Playing with the idea of closing a building and then pulling it back but promising a fresh list later creates chaos.
Federal jobs and federal buildings are not just numbers to write down, erase and scribble somewhere else while the administration brainstorms. They represent the lives of real people — many of whom agree with the Trump administration about change.
Actions can and do have effects — and they aren’t just about other people.