The AltGov movement, as described by Michael Snyder in his February 27, 2025, Substack article, emerges as a clandestine network of federal employees within the U.S. government who are actively resisting the policies and influence of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, particularly Musk's role as co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Snyder frames this group as a rebellious faction, operating in the shadows of federal agencies, using social media platforms like Bluesky to voice dissent and rally support. The movement's resurgence in 2025, tied to Trump's second term and Musk's bureaucratic overhaul, builds on a legacy that traces back to 2017, when rogue government workers first used Twitter to counter Trump's early administration actions. Yet, a critical examination reveals a complex picture—one marked by ideological zeal, questionable efficacy, and potential overreach.
Snyder's account leans heavily on a Guardian report from February 26, 2025, which details how AltGov members, including those behind accounts like Alt National Park Service, are mobilising to "fight the Trump administration from within." The movement gained traction after Trump's January 2025 inauguration, spurred by Musk's aggressive push to slash federal spending and dismantle agencies deemed inefficient. Snyder cites staggering figures to underscore the stakes: federal spending reached $6.75 trillion in fiscal year 2024, with nearly half tied to programs like Social Security and Medicare. Musk's DOGE initiative, aiming to cut $2 trillion, threatens the jobs and priorities of career bureaucrats, fuelling AltGov's resistance. Posts on X and web sources, such as a Reddit thread from February 26, 2025, on r/50501, echo this sentiment, praising AltGov as a bulwark against "Neo-Nazi Fascism" and urging support for federal workers. However, this portrayal invites scepticism: is AltGov a noble defense of democracy, or a self-interested pushback by an entrenched bureaucracy?
The movement's tactics, as Snyder describes, blend digital activism with insider leaks. On Bluesky, AltGov accounts share "scoops" about agency plans, like the alleged transformation of the Department of Defense into a "Department of War," and call for public action, such as the "Fifty Protests in Fifty States" event planned for March 4, 2025. This echoes the earlier #AltGov Twitter campaign documented in Amanda Sturgill's 2022 book, We Are #ALTGOV: Social Media Resistance from the Inside, where federal employees countered Trump's policies—like climate data deletions—through anonymous accounts that once boasted nearly two million followers. Yet, the reliance on anonymity and unverified leaks raises questions about accountability. Snyder warns of "disinformation" risks, a concern amplified by the lack of concrete evidence tying AltGov claims to official policy documents. Are these leaks truth-telling, or strategic distortions by disgruntled insiders?
Motivations within AltGov appear mixed. Snyder suggests a core of "Left-leaning" bureaucrats, some with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, are driven by ideology—opposing Trump and Musk's capitalist reforms as threats to progressive values. Sturgill's research supports this, noting participants in 2017 ranged from idealists defending science and human rights to those with partisan axes to grind. Web sources, like Elon University's coverage of Sturgill's work, highlight the movement's appeal to civil servants who see themselves as guardians of public interest. But this self-image clashes with reality: federal workers, numbering over two million, enjoy job security and benefits tied to the very spending Musk targets. Posts on X from users like @typocatCAv2 frame AltGov as heroic, yet critics could argue it's less about democracy and more about preserving a bloated status quo. Snyder's alarmist tone—calling it a "shadowy rebellion"—hints at this tension, though he stops short of fully unpacking it.
The movement's impact is harder to gauge. Snyder paints a dire picture: AltGov could destabilise governance if it incites mass resistance or leaks sensitive data. He cites Musk's claim of firing 300 DOGE opponents as evidence of internal strife, though without corroboration, this remains speculative. Sturgill's book suggests the earlier iteration influenced public discourse—tweets about inauguration crowd sizes in 2017 challenged Trump's narrative—but measurable outcomes were limited. Today's AltGov, operating on Bluesky with a smaller reach than Twitter's peak, may struggle to replicate that influence. A Reddit user's call to "follow them on Bluesky" reflects enthusiasm, but the platform's niche audience (versus X's broader reach) limits its clout. Moreover, the movement risks alienating the public if perceived as elitist or subversive—Snyder notes potential backlash from taxpayers weary of funding inefficiency.
Critically, AltGov's narrative invites scrutiny against broader political currents. Snyder ties it to fears of authoritarianism under Trump and Musk, a view echoed in posts on X labelling them "fascists." Yet, this mirrors the hyperbole of past resistance movements, like the alt-right pipeline or anti-Trump protests, where rhetoric often outpaces evidence. The movement's secrecy, while pragmatic given job risks, undermines its moral high ground—why hide if the cause is just? Conversely, Musk's DOGE cuts, however ruthless, stem from a mandate to address a $35 trillion national debt, a crisis AltGov sidesteps.
In conclusion, the AltGov movement, as illuminated by Snyder and other sources, is a polarising enigma. It positions itself as a last stand against tyranny, leveraging insider status to challenge power. Yet, its anonymity, ideological slant, and uncertain impact cast doubt on its purity and effectiveness. It is a traitorous attempt to undermine a democratically elected government. Bring on the treason trials!
https://michaeltsnyder.substack.com/p/a-secretive-movement-known-as-altgov
"We have a government that is literally fighting against itself. The federal workforce has always been more liberal than the population as a whole, but in recent years things have gotten really bad. Prior to this year, Democrats had been in control of the White House for 12 of the past 16 years. Over time, leftists that were hired for key positions just kept hiring more leftists underneath them. In fact, it got to a point where DEI policies at various agencies essentially institutionalized the systematic hiring of leftists. By the end of the Biden administration, leftist domination of most of our federal agencies was virtually complete. But now we have a new administration that most of our leftist federal workers absolutely detest. Many of them have absolutely no intention of cooperating with the new administration, and some of them have started to openly rebel against it.
A secretive movement known as "#AltGov" has become the epicenter of that rebellion. Those that are involved primarily communicate through anonymous social media accounts and an encrypted messaging app…
Calling itself #AltGov, the network has developed a visible, public-facing presence in recent weeks through Bluesky accounts, most of which bear the names or initials of federal agencies, aimed at getting information out to the public – and correcting disinformation – about the chaos being unleashed by the Trump administration.
With 40 accounts to date, their collective megaphone is getting louder, as most of the accounts have tens of thousands of followers, with "Alt CDC (they/them)" being the largest, at nearly 95,000 followers.
The network has also formed a group and a series of sub-groups on Wire, the encrypted messaging app, to share information and develop strategies – as played out on Saturday.
Most people don't realize this, but the "#AltGov" movement was very active during the first Trump administration.
Of course during the Biden administration it went away, because the leftists inside our federal agencies saw no need to rebel against Joe Biden.
But now it is back with a vengeance…
"#AltGov dates from the first Trump administration, but it's even more needed now," said an employee at Fema, the disaster response agency, who requested anonymity to avoid being targeted at work. She recently launched an #AltGov Fema account on Bluesky. With nearly 13,000 followers, the account says it's dedicated to "helping people before, during, and after (this democratic) disaster".
One member of the group that has dared to go public with her identity has explained what the purpose of "#AltGov" actually is…
The network is aiming to "expose harmful policies, defend public institutions and equip citizens with tools to push back against authoritarianism," Lynn Stahl, a contractor for the Department of Veterans Affairs and member of the group, told the Guardian.
In other words, they want to use their positions inside the federal government to oppose the Trump administration any way that they can.
If it sounds like this is gross insubordination to you, that is because it is gross insubordination.
And we are already seeing the results.
Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed the FBI to deliver all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein to her office, and they told her that they had done so.
But now it turns out that they had secretly held back thousands of documents, and Pam Bondi is extremely upset…
Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a fiery letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday accusing federal investigators in New York of withholding thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents she has vowed to make public.
Bondi said she had requested the full Epstein case file before Patel was confirmed as the head of the FBI and received about 200 pages of files — far less than the number of pages released last year in a civil lawsuit connected to Ghislaine Maxwell, the trafficker's former lover and convicted accomplice.
"I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents," Bondi wrote. "Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein."
Unfortunately, many of the documents that Bondi wants may no longer exist.
FBI whistleblower Garret O'Boyle has revealed that operatives inside the FBI have been working feverishly to destroy sensitive files…
"There are FBI servers," said ex-agent-turned-whistleblower Garret O'Boyle, "and people inside the FBI have been working night and day to destroy files on these servers."
"No idea on what it is — I can only speculate — but you mentioned the Epstein list," he added. "I'd imagine it's cases like that."
Now that Kash Patel has finally been confirmed, he is moving quickly to try to get control of the agency, but it appears that many FBI agents have no intention of obeying his lawful orders…
"Last week, right out of the gate, Kash Patel said 500 people were going to Alabama," O'Boyle said, explaining that they would still be "headquarters personnel, but in Alabama."
The other 1,000 agents, he said, were sent out to the field nationwide.
"Already, people are saying, we are not going to comply with that," O'Boyle told Johnson. "We are going to make it seem as if we transferred—we're going to do what they call 'paper transfers'—and we're not going to obey these lawful orders."
What a mess.
If this sort of insubordination persists, more agencies may have to be almost entirely dismantled just like USAID was.
Sadly, many workers that were fired at USAID and other federal agencies are now conducting wild protests…
Dozens of the protesters crammed into the lobby of the office of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, but they were eventually tossed out by security. They also tried to get into the district office of Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, but they were pushed out by staffers.
"It's been an emotional roller coaster. Like I said, I came to USAID intending on staying there for as long as I could. I really loved the work that we were doing," said one unnamed former USAID worker to WCSH-TV.
"And now I don't know what to do," she added. "And I have cried every day. I think that that's normal. I have a 15-month-old at home, and I'm looking at him and thinking, 'What's this country that we're now living in?'"
On Thursday, USAID employees that have been let go were given approximately 15 minutes to clear their personal belongings out of their former workspaces…
USAID employees clutching backpacks and wheeling suitcases full of their belongings trickled out of the now-shuttered agency's headquarters on Thursday morning after the Trump administration gave them 15 minutes to clear out.
Outside the building in downtown Washington, D.C., a line of demonstrators broke into applause and cheers as each employee left the building. Bouquets of flowers for employees stood nearby, alongside a sign reading, "You and your mission mattered!"
Samantha Power, USAID's administrator, greeted and hugged supporters down the line before she disappeared through the doors of the agency.
Of course this is just the beginning.
The cuts are only going to get deeper in the weeks ahead.
For example, the Trump administration has announced that 120 IRS offices will be permanently shut down…
The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to shut down more than 120 IRS offices that provide taxpayer assistance as part of a broader effort to reduce the federal government's footprint and cut costs.
The decision, outlined in a letter from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) obtained by The Washington Post, comes at a crucial time—right in the middle of the federal tax filing season, which ends on April 15.
And President Trump has instructed those running our federal agencies "to turn in a plan for 'large-scale' headcount reductions" by March 13th…
The Trump administration directed federal agency heads Wednesday to turn in a plan for "large-scale" headcount reductions by March 13 — as the president told his first cabinet meeting he wanted to purge government workers who are "scamming our country."
The memo, sent jointly by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), tells agency leaders to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to make cuts to the "bloated, corrupt federal government" by methods including firing "underperforming employees," closing unneeded regional offices and not renewing contracts.
The memo comes after DOGE overseer Elon Musk threatened twice to fire government employees who didn't respond to an email asking for five things they did in the last week.
Ouch.
So how many federal workers could eventually lose their jobs?
Well, Trump just said that a million federal workers could potentially be "on the bubble"…
President Donald Trump warned that one million or more federal employees are now "on the bubble" because of their failure to respond to an email demanding they justify their jobs.
In a wild monologue during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, the president jumped in after Elon Musk responded to a question from a pool reporter about the fates of those who failed to respond to the email sent Saturday by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) — which asked federal employees to list five bulletpoints of items they accomplished in the last week. Despite having previously warned federal employees that failure to respond would be considered a resignation, Musk softened his position — in response to the pool reporter asking whether those million-plus employees who blew off the email demand would be terminated.
"We're going to send another email," Musk said. "But our goal is not to be capricious or unfair. We want to give people every opportunity to send an email. And the email could simply be 'What I'm working on is too sensitive or classified to describe.' Like, literally just that would be sufficient. You know, I think this is just common sense."
We have never seen anything like this before.
It shall be very interesting to see how all of this plays out.
On top of everything else that is going on, a potential government shutdown is looming in the middle of next month…
Congress is barreling toward a deadline to avert a government shutdown in just over two weeks, with Democrats and Republicans at odds over whether there should be guardrails on President Trump's ability to withhold funding approved by Congress.
Democrats want to insert language in the funding bill to ensure that the administration implements the spending directed by Congress, a reaction to Mr. Trump and top adviser Elon Musk's work to downsize large swaths of the executive branch. But Republicans have made it clear that they won't accept those terms.
Government funding expires on March 14, and keeping the government open past the deadline will likely require bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Republicans control 53 seats in the Senate, but a funding measure requires 60 votes for passage. In the House, Republicans are operating with a razor-thin majority and a divided conference in which conservatives regularly vote against government spending bills.
In my entire lifetime, we have never seen this much chaos in Washington.
And of course the chaos in Washington is just one element of the "perfect storm" that is raging all around us.
I do not believe that our society will be able to handle what is about to happen."