The DOGE firings — what is going on?

The firings of all these government workers is frightening and concerning “Trump administration fires 1,600 USAID workers,” Nation & World, Feb. 24].

Does anyone have the feeling that President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk are trying to decimate this country so that perhaps we are at the mercy of Russian President Vladimir Putin or their other oligarch friends? Who will run these agencies?

What is going on? Do the Republicans even notice the turmoil gripping this country?

— Karyn Rhodes Dornfield, Westbury

Fraud, waste, and abuse are happening daily in the Internal Revenue Service, Defense Department, Social Security and others. During Bill Clinton’s administration, then-Vice President Al Gore was tasked in 1993 with the same mission as Elon Musk — cut waste. Then-President Barack Obama signed an executive order in 2011 establishing the Campaign to Cut Government Waste.

Clinton and Obama thought it was the right thing to do, and it was welcomed. Now, Donald Trump, who ran on this very platform, implements a real plan, starts the process, and what happens? Everyone melts down!

The Democrats shout that Elon Musk was not elected. No, he wasn’t — he is an adviser to the president like Valerie Jarrett, also unelected, was for President Barack Obama, and Susan Rice, unelected, was for President Joe Biden. Unelected advisers are always in a president’s White House, so no new news here.

Trump is going to look behind the curtain and let us all know what he finds and begin the process to clean it up. Listen for those who scream the most in Congress and start looking there first.

— Mark McEntee, Malverne

As a Melville warehouse trainer, I work with a diverse team, many of whom are immigrants. Federal policy changes on Employment Authorization Documents, especially for Haitians, have put some out of work. By Aug. 3, unless work permits are extended, they could be deported, too “We are part of the fabric of Long Island,” News, Feb. 22].

These changes reflect the malfeasance of the Trump administration, leaving workers struggling to provide for their families.

These individuals followed the legal process but now face prolonged uncertainty that could force some into undocumented work. This is not just an injustice — it’s a failing that impacts businesses, communities, and our economy.

As companies fill gaps from delayed and denied renewals, we face training costs and inefficiencies. Every day without authorization costs us productivity and drives up business expenses.

The human cost is immeasurable because it’s not merely an economic issue; it’s a moral one. The workers I train have given this country loyalty, time and effort.

This cruel decision must be rescinded so our nation can live up to its promises of fairness and opportunity.

— Nathan Lund, Amityville

I am heartsick at the actions of Donald Trump, but his words and deeds regarding Ukraine are particularly enraging. It is unjust, unfair, untrue, and immoral to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator who started the war with Russia and to abandon Zelenskyy, Ukraine, and our European allies to side with Vladimir Putin, a true dictator who is engaging in a power grab. At this moment, I am ashamed of our country.

— Anne Kelly, Baldwin

A reader made a good comparison between the 1938 attempt to appease Adolf Hitler and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s current aggression in Ukraine [“Dueling views on Trump, Musk,” Letters, Feb. 19]. I’m not a Republican, but I can only imagine what former President Ronald Reagan and former Sen. John McCain would say about the cowardly meeting between the United States and Russia excluding Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We are selling out the Ukrainians to appease Putin and undermining NATO at the same time. Disgraceful.

— Tom Horan, Yaphank

Elon Musk and Donald Trump are making headlines trying to cut government fraud and waste by capriciously and callously firing middle-class civil servants. Two fairer ways to do this: One, make a serious commitment to go after billionaires and millionaires like Trump and Musk to pay their fair share of taxes. Two, deny Social Security disability payments to people who should be working and not fraudulently collecting monthly payments.

— Leona Miller, Smithtown

An occasional puff piece about someone with Long Island roots rising to national prominence is not surprising, but the article on Kash Patel went too far [“Kash Patel’s path to nomination to become FBI director started on Long Island,” News, Feb. 17].

To say his nomination “has not been without controversy” is an understatement, as he has openly advocated using the FBI as a tool for Donald Trump’s retribution against opponents and likely lied under oath to the Senate about purging the FBI and the Department of Justice.

— Robert Futterman, Valley Stream