Government Declares War on Libraries, Small Businesses, and Labor—Calls It ‘Efficiency’
How slashing “bureaucracy” really means gutting services that keep small-town America running.
When some people talk about “reducing government,” they don’t mean cutting waste or inefficiency—they mean gutting the very services that keep rural and working-class communities afloat.
The latest Executive Order on “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” is essentially a bonfire of agencies that, while not flashy, do unglamorous work that keeps society functioning.
Because, really, who needs stable labor markets, rural libraries, or financial support for struggling businesses? Indeed, not the deep-red towns that voted for this.
Let’s examine what’s being axed and how it will make life harder for the people who cheered it on.
1. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)
What they do: Act as the adult in the room when labor unions and employers are on the brink of tearing each other apart. They mediate labor disputes, preventing strikes and lockouts that disrupt entire industries.
Who benefits from cutting it: Employers who'd rather strong-arm workers into worse conditions without an intermediary stepping in.
Who gets screwed: Workers, particularly in industries like manufacturing and public services, where unresolved labor disputes can lead to long-term job insecurity. More strikes mean more economic instability—great news for everyone except the people who actually have to earn a paycheck.
2. United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM)
What they do: Provide independent news to parts of the world where press freedom is a pipe dream. Think Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
Who benefits from cutting it: Authoritarian regimes are thrilled to see one less source of reliable journalism.
Who gets screwed: The U.S. government, which now loses one of its soft-power tools, and rural economies that rely on global trade and investment. Believe it or not, having an international voice matters when you want people to buy your wheat and cattle.
3. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
What they do: Nonpartisan research on global and domestic policy issues.
Who benefits from cutting it: Anyone allergic to facts.
Who gets screwed: Policymakers who actually want research-based solutions (so, a dwindling group). Rural areas lose another source of expertise on economic and environmental policies that directly impact them.
4. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
What they do: Fund libraries and museums, ensuring people in small towns have access to books, technology, and educational programs.
Who benefits from cutting it: No one, unless you think rural kids should just read the back of a cereal box for literacy training.
Who gets screwed: Small-town America, where libraries are often the only free educational resource around. Say goodbye to the bookmobile that kept your kid interested in reading.
5. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
What they do: Coordinate federal efforts to reduce homelessness.
Who benefits from cutting it: People who think ignoring homelessness makes it go away.
Who gets screwed: Everyone living in a city or town where homelessness is already a crisis. Without coordination, expect more tent cities, emergency room visits, and economic strain on communities trying to manage the problem without federal support.
6. Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund)
What they do: Provide financial assistance to underserved communities, helping small businesses and affordable housing projects get off the ground.
Who benefits from cutting it: Big banks that don’t want competition from community lenders.
Who gets screwed: Rural business owners and farmers who depend on these loans. Just wait if you thought it was hard to get financing for your small-town bakery or tractor repair shop before.
7. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
What they do: Help minority-owned businesses access capital, contracts, and growth opportunities.
Who benefits from cutting it: The same people who think “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” works when your boots have no laces.
Who gets screwed: Minority-owned businesses, particularly in rural areas, where barriers to entry are already sky-high. Economic mobility takes another hit.
Make It Make Sense
If this EO were really about “efficiency,” we’d see wasteful contracts, bureaucratic redundancy, and corporate welfare getting slashed. Instead, we’re watching the government gut the institutions supporting small businesses, rural communities, and working-class families.
It’s almost like the goal isn’t efficiency at all—it’s making sure the most vulnerable have fewer lifelines while power stays concentrated where it’s always been.
And the best part? When the inevitable economic fallout hits, the same politicians who signed off on this will turn around and blame immigrants, "woke policies," or some other convenient scapegoat. Because accountability? That’s another government service they quietly defunded.
That’s the point.