Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Federal workers in Utah plan to protest mass layoffs under President Trump at a demonstration in Ogden.
- The protests are part of a national movement against Trump's workforce reduction efforts.
- Participants criticize Trump's collaboration with Elon Musk and worry about the impact on public services.
OGDEN — Many critics of President Donald Trump's administration are clamoring in Utah, as in the rest of the country.
They demonstrated in Ogden on Saturday and in Salt Lake City on Monday, part of a series of protests across the nation. Now federal workers upset over the mass firings of U.S. employees across the country are set to protest on Wednesday in Ogden, also part of planned demonstrating across the nation.
"Federal workers are under attack — the people who keep our food safe, our veterans cared for, our tax returns processed and so much more," reads a public message posted Tuesday on the Facebook page of one of the unions representing IRS workers in Ogden. "They want mass resignations to gut public services. Federal workers aren't resigning — we're fighting back."
The demonstrating stems from discontent with Trump's moves to assert his vision, teaming with businessman Elon Musk, and the firings of thousands of federal workers across the country. With thousands of IRS workers in Ogden, the issue is germane for many across Weber County.
"I want my children to see that when they see an unprecedented situation, we can still stand up for our belief system and let our voices be heard," Harmony Ferrill, a protester at Monday's demonstration, told KSL NewsRadio.
Reps from the Chapter 67 of the National Treasury Employees Union didn't respond to queries Tuesday seeking comment. The organization is promoting Wednesday's demonstration, to start at 5 p.m. outside the James V. Hansen Federal Building at 324 25th St. in Ogden.
Officials from the Federal Unionists Network, which is organizing the nationwide series of demonstrations, also didn't respond to requests for comment. The organization is a coalition of leaders from local unions around the country. On its website, though, the organization characterized Wednesday's planned gatherings as protests against Musk's efforts via the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to whittle the federal workforce.
"On Feb. 19, federal workers and everyday Americans are coming together to say no to Elon Musk's push to gut federal services and impose mass layoffs," reads the Federal Unionists Network website. The organization calls for no cuts to vital services and no mass layoffs, among other things.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump, a Republican, has ordered stepped-up efforts to detain and deport immigrants here illegally and moved to increase tariffs on goods coming from other countries to correct what he views as trade imbalances, among other things. More recently, with the help of Musk, he's moved forward with the firings of thousands of federal workers across the country as part of his efforts to reduce "the unnecessary footprint of government" and trim government spending.
"It's devastating. I was really, really looking forward to this position, worked really hard to get to where I am," said one Utah federal worker who was fired.
At the demonstrations on Saturday and Monday here in Utah, participants expressed an array of concerns with Trump, including the involvement of Musk in his administration and moves to reverse initiatives meant to diversify the federal workforce. One of the forces behind the protests was a grassroots coalition that took shape via social media called 50501, short for 50 protests in 50 states on one day.
Despite the opposition, Trump's efforts have broad support among GOP lawmakers and many in the public.
Contributing: Brian Carlson, Heather Peterson, Darby Sparks
