Ron Nirenberg joins chorus calling for San Antonio to help federal workers taken out by DOGE

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg is urging the city to help or hire federal workers who have come under the ax of billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an internal memo obtained by the Express-News shows.

In a message sent to City Manager Erik Walsh on Thursday, the mayor warned that the Trump administration’s rapid and drastic government downsizing could harm the local economy, the daily reports.

“The White House is moving at a rapid pace to make sweeping changes to the support personnel and programs of federal agencies,” Nirenberg said in the memo.

Nirenberg also expressed concern that Trump’s 25% tariffs on Mexico, which have been postponed – again – until early next month, will damage commerce with San Antonio’s “largest trade partner,” according to the Express-News.

In response, Nirenberg called on San Antonio’s Ready to Work job training program to provide new skills for federal workers who lost their positions.

The mayor is the latest local official to ask the city to help offset the impact of DOGE, which has already led to a loss of up to $261 million in federal dollars to San Antonio nonprofits and entities with government contracts.

Last week, District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia and District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez — both mayoral candidates — filed a formal request to debate a resolution that would streamline city hiring processes so it can more easily bring on former federal workers.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar also said he’s eager to hire terminated government employees if they can can pass the department’s written and physical exams.

Roughly 3% of the jobs in the San Antonio metro area are nonmilitary federal positions.

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This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.