Trump Official: I Hope Most Workers Don't Come Back

The conservative Daily Caller has printed an anonymous op-ed from a writer described as "senior official in the White House," and the author makes some controversial statements about the ongoing government shutdown, including:

• "For the sake of our nation, I hope it lasts a very long time, till the government is changed and can never return to its previous form."
• "Due to the lack of funding, many federal agencies are now operating more effectively from the top down on a fraction of their workforce, with only select essential personnel serving national security tasks."
• "We do not want most employees to return, because we are working better without them."

The author says he or she is one of the federal workers currently working without a paycheck, but sees the sacrifice as worth it if the shutdown leads to a leaner government. The vast majority of federal employees—the author estimates 80%—are good-for-nothing clock-punchers or, worse, "saboteurs" out to wreck the Trump presidency, the author argues. The rest are "exceptional patriots." President Trump himself took note of the column Tuesday morning. He retweeted a comment from son Donald Trump Jr., who wrote, "Worth the read." Read the column in full here. (More government shutdown stories.)