More than 700 temporary and term employees at Red River Army Depot can exhale now.
Last week it was reported that their jobs were at risk because of President Donald Trump's federal hiring freeze. Time was quickly running out on the contracts for the jobs and it was unknown whether the freeze would keep them from being renewed.
RRAD officials-along with a host of federal, state, and local politicians and community leaders-worked to get an exemption for the workers. The jobs were not only vital to the area economy, but to keep work at RRAD running smoothly. But nothing was certain. And those workers had to be on pins and needles.
Thankfully, acting Secretary of the Army Robert Speer gave his OK for the exemption late Thursday. So for now the jobs are safe and the workers can relax.
For now.
But this is an indication of what will be coming down the road. The president has promised to cut government spending by trillions of dollars over 10 years. That's a lot of money. A lot of cutting.
By and large the American people support such cuts. That includes those of us here in the Twin Cities and around the Ark-La-Tex. Many believe the government is bloated and that too much money is spent wastefully. Many also think the government employs far too many people.
Yes, most believe that. Until the cuts hit too close to home. Then they fight like the dickens.
We have to do the same. Yes, we accept the concept of "shared sacrifice" but the reality is usually something very different. Other communities will be fighting hard to keep federal jobs. That's just the way it is. Some will win, some will lose. The sacrifice will not be shared equitably.
We want to be among the winners.