Protesters gathered Wednesday afternoon on Bicentennial Plaza in downtown Raleigh for a rally they called “Down With DOGE.”
A group that described itself as "North Carolina Democrats" organized the rally, which goes until 2 p.m. Wednesday. The group posted the rally information on the events website Mobilize.
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After, some of the speakers were scheduled to meet with state lawmakers.
Some people told WRAL News they are frustrated by what they’ve seen in Washington, D.C., from the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE]. The department has overseen layoffs of thousands of federal workers and cut funding to several programs.
A woman named Debbie drove from Greenville to attend Wednesday afternoon’s rally in Raleigh.
“I’m concerned about children not being covered under Medicaid if that gets canceled,” she said. “Children not being fed.”
On Wednesday, the NCGOP released the following statement about the rally:
"Democrats didn't hold angry protests when inflation was hurting American families or when western North Carolina desperately needed resources after Hurricane Helene,” the statement reads in part. “This is a political party so out of touch with reality the concept of examining government spending and cutting out waste, fraud and abuse is what drives them to action.”
Related: 'Everyone's excited about DOGE': NC Republicans look to bring Musk-style review to state government
Debbie also told WRAL News about her concern about the Department of Education getting “dismantled.”
“Today it's the Department of Education,” Debbie said. “Next week, it might be Social Security. It might be Medicare. I'm on Medicare ... I'm concerned.”
On Tuesday, Department of Education leaders announced plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization’s staff -- a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency.
The Trump administration had already been whittling the Department of Education’s staff, though buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After Tuesday’s layoffs, the Education Department’s staff will sit at roughly half of its previous 4,100, the agency said.