It has been just over a month since Donald Trump took office as President of the United States. Not a day goes by without a new statement from the US president. Each more extreme than the last.

The very foundations of American democracy are being challenged. The great and powerful country of the West has a democratically elected president who, in many respects, at least in terms of domestic policy, is now implementing the dramatic changes he campaigned on.

The extended arm of decision-makers

Of course, a new president must make the policy and administrative changes he deems appropriate. But a president must also implement these changes within the framework and agreements in place and, above all, in accordance with the Constitution.

American democracy is now facing major challenges from the person and institution that should be its greatest defender. Government agencies are part of democracy. They are the extension of political decision-makers, charged with implementing and administering the decisions of political assemblies.

We, who represent the employees in the government sector here in Sweden, are the first to support the idea that the government sector should be efficient and compliance should be strict. This sector is entirely tax-funded and it is crucial for the reputation and respect of the public sector that taxpayers' money is handled impeccably.

The “deep state”

Ultimately, this is a question of democracy: a view deeply rooted among our members in government. Just hours after Donald Trump took office for his second term, he launched what he calls the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), appointing Elon Musk as its head. The goal of this 'unofficial' department is to fight what Trump calls the 'deep state'.

The term 'deep state' refers to a belief that government officials have too much power and are driven by their own agenda. This conspiracy is fundamentally based on government employees actively opposing Donald Trump and his political agenda.

To address this conspiracy, the US President has now given Elon Musk, who was not elected by the American people, the right to weed out and fire American government employees at will.

Blaming government employees

Thousands of government employees have been laid off, government agencies are being dismantled, and millions of government employees have been offered severance packages, without any analysis of the consequences for the US and the world. Often, the dismissals are carried out via email, citing 'poor performance', even though no notice or information was given to the employee.

On his own platform X, Elon Musk announced that all government employees will receive an email instructing them to inform their manager of their achievements during the previous week. According to Elon Musk, anyone who does not do so can be fired.

The President's has failed to calm the situation or urge thoughtfulness, instead encouraging Musk to be more aggressive in his work. Donald Trump is cutting back but also consolidating power for himself more than ever before in the US. The savings made through the closures will in turn be used to cut taxes for the richest people in the country.

Worrying developments

Together we organize hundreds of thousands of employees in the Swedish government, and we look with horror and dismay at what is now affecting millions of Americans. This can be seen in no other way than as a step towards undermining democracy in the most powerful country in the world.

So why are we writing this and reacting so strongly to what is happening to the US public sector? Apart from standing in solidarity with our sister organizations in the US and all the workers who are losing their livelihoods, the dismantling of democratic institutions in the US risks affecting us in the long run.

We can already hear voices here in Sweden that are inspired by DOGE. For example, the financier Christer Gardell said this when he participated in SVT's “Ekonomibyrån”: “Sweden should be inspired by the Trump administration's ambition to slim down the state apparatus."

Free civil servants

In recent years, we have also been able to hear members of parliament and party representatives talk about government employees being activists. Pure and simple disinformation.

Our members are independent, professional experts. Civil servants have the responsibility to give advice and recommendations, to provide information and suggestions for politicians to make informed decisions.

A civil servant must be able to express his or her professional opinions without risk of being criticized by politicians. If a policy decision contravenes laws and international agreements, is financially unsustainable or has other negative consequences, public authorities must be able to inform both politicians and the public.

Those working for the state must be impartial and objective in their work.

Crucial for democracy

We are very concerned about what is currently happening in the United States. It will have major consequences for American society, but the new administration's undermining of democratic institutions both in the United States and in the international community will also have major consequences for the rest of the world.

The rules-based world order is now being challenged. We hope that Swedish politicians are wiser. We hope that our Swedish politicians realize that a well-functioning Sweden requires a well-functioning state. We expect our political leaders to defend the rule of law, competence and efficiency of the Swedish state. The state sector is crucial for maintaining democracy, legal certainty and justice.