Local Republican Sounds the Alarm on President Trump’s Agenda

A former New York State Senator and longtime Republican is warning people here in the Utica-Rome area that no-one is standing up against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's cuts that are believed to be coming for federal jobs right here at home. Senator Ray Meier served NY's 47th Senate District for 5 consecutive terms from 1997 to 2007 and he's fearing that President Trump's cuts are about to undo all of the local jobs he and other previous leaders worked so hard keep here.

Meier is talking about key jobs at Rome's DFAS, Rome Lab, the U.S. Postal Service, Social Security, and other federal agencies. Meier's warning was released on Thursday to local media outlets as an op-ed.

"Well, Trump supporters, the Trump Musk agenda is no longer an abstraction. Most of you have friends, neighbors or family who work at DFAS (Defense Finance and Accounting Service), Rome Lab, the Postal Service, Social Security or other federal agencies. They are not part of the Trump world fabled "deep state."

"They pay the bills that support the men and women who keep our country safe and free. They develop and sustain the technologies that enable those brave men and women to accomplish their mission. They deliver your mail in spite of massive snow and don't complain. They make sure your Social Security benefits arrive on time and Medicare pays when you go to the doctor. Yet, they have to deal with blast emails from an unelected billionaire dilettante demanding to know what they accomplished last week or face firing."

On Wednesday, during the first Cabinet meeting, President Trump said he's pleased with Musk's accomplishments so far, supports the memo directing employees to list five accomplishments from last week, and said he's asked Musk to keep up the work and actually do more. Meier is worried that the gaping cuts in the federal workforce will have dire effects on the government's ability to operate, and will have the very negative effects on the Mohawk Valley's economy that he and other elected officials have tried to prevent.

"When I was in elected office, I fought along with RoAnn Destito, Joe Griffo, Sherry Boehlert, and Steve DiMeo to protect those jobs. In fact, we proved that Rome DFAS was so efficient and productive that we gained jobs. Where is Elise Stefanik? Too busy waiting for her next job in Trump world to stand up. Where are the Republicans who want to replace her? Too scared of Trump to tell the truth," Meier said in his editorial.

Critics of President Trump's 10-percent cut to the federal workforce say the cutting of these jobs that already have several levels of government oversight to prevent waste, will simply put people and families out of work while government employee salaries makeup only less than one percent of the federal budget. Those supporting this broad downsizing of government say it's long overdue and it's one of the things the President promised he would do while stumping last year on the campaign trail.

Meier disagrees, as do other Democrats and some Republicans who fear the cuts should be more surgical and strategic and the current DOGE effort is moving way too quickly. He closed his op-ed with a warning to people in the area that the current people in charge of the government will not stand up because they're afraid of Donald Trump."

"Stand up. Speak up. No one else will. Your future and your country's future is at stake.

— Raymond Meier. Rome"

Meier left the NYS Senate in 2007 for an unsuccessful bid for Congress when then  Congressman Sherry Boehlert decided not to run for re-election. Meier lost in a close election to Mike Arcuri, who served in Congress from 2007 until 2011, when he lost to Republican Richard Hanna. Meier lives in the area and currently works for the Bond Schoeneck & King law firm.