When there’s talk of eliminating fraud, waste and abuse within the government, an image of some deceptive opportunist stealing from the taxpayer is often conjured in the minds of those sympathetic to such a narrative.
Instead of raising taxes to fund seemingly bloated government bureaucracy, the DOGE types in power seek to cut the unnecessary fat: high pay among the civil service and handouts given to those deemed unworthy of such aid, among other targets of this austerity-driven governance.
Why should the hardworking Tennessean foot the bill for these so-called fraudsters? Well, as it turns out, the idea that they are is a figment of the conservative imagination. In reality, it is the low-level worker who stands to lose the most from these budget cuts. The Tennessee Valley Authority’s recent move to reduce employee salaries is no different.
(IN THE NEWS: TVA to cut payroll $153M in response to Trump memo)
At the behest of President Donald Trump — who in his first term called former TVA chief executive Jeff Lyash’s $10.5 million salary “ridiculous” — the public utility released a plan to comply with the White House’s order to set a $500,000 compensation limit for all TVA employees.