Federal workers' union president says the idea government is 'too big' is 'misinformation'

Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, claimed the Trump administration is spreading "misinformation" with the idea that the government is "too big." 

Kelley appeared on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" on Thursday to comment on a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of probationary workers who lost their jobs from recent mass firings. Kelley’s union was one of the organizations behind the original lawsuit.

Tapper asked Kelley what he would say to critics who were arguing the government is "too big" and "too bloated" and needs to be cut down. Kelley said the accusation is "false" and that the government hasn't grown in decades.

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Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, appeared on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper." (CNN screenshot)

"I think that‘s misinformation," Kelley said. "And this administration is very good at putting out false information. The government today is the same size it was in the ‘70s. The population has exploded, but the amount of federal workers has not. So that‘s just false information about it being too big. It‘s the same size as it was in the ’70s."

Kelley has been a harsh critic of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to cut federal spending, employees and agencies. 

In February, he released a statement condemning Musk’s demand that employees list five things they accomplished in the last week or risk losing their jobs.

"It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life," Kelley said.

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Kelley slammed Elon Musk's demand that federal employees list what they accomplished at work. (Getty Images)

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Despite Kelley’s criticism, a CBS/YouGov poll earlier this month found that 54% of Americans believe that Musk and DOGE should have at least some influence over government spending and operations.

Fox News' Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.