The National Plant Germplasm System, a vast federal collection of seeds, roots, branches and stems, is probably unknown to most Americans. But to Rachel Spaeth the system is a “living library” — and America’s safeguard against “famine on a global scale.”
Dr. Spaeth was a horticulturalist at an Agriculture Department research site near Davis, Calif., where she oversaw 7,000 trees that produce “stone fruits,” including apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, prunes and nectarines. Her mission: to keep the plants healthy and genetically diverse, so breeders can produce disease-resistant strains.
She was fired two weeks ago.
The extraordinary campaign underway by President Trump and his right-hand man, Elon Musk, to shrink what the administration calls a “bloated, corrupt federal bureaucracy” has targeted a growing list of often obscure scientists, engineers and other specialists whose expertise has helped form the backbone of the modern federal government and positioned the United States as a research leader in the world.
The slash-and-burn purge, which is expected to grow in the coming weeks, is alarming even to some conservatives who worry that the indiscriminate nature of the firing will ultimately undermine core government operations.
At the same time, it highlights fundamental questions about the size, shape and function of the federal bureaucracy. Should it be pared back? And if so, by how much? Which functions are necessary and which are superfluous? The Trump administration has already conceded it has made mistakes in its handling of some experts, who have been rehired, including specialists on bird flu and workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration.