There’s a quiet moral tension hanging over much of the federal contracting community these days – a sort of collective soul-searching we don’t always name out loud.
Many of us are caught in a Catch-22: we dedicate our careers to supporting federal programs that improve lives, strengthen national security, and serve communities. Yet, under the current administration, some of those same institutions feel misaligned with the values we hold dear. There’s a sense that by continuing to work in this space, we’re complicit (or at least complicit-adjacent) in policies or rhetoric that may undermine equity, justice, or truth.
The paradox is painful. We question whether we’re compromising our principles for a paycheck. We whisper about feeling like we’re selling our souls just to keep the lights on. And still, we show up. We staff the programs. We write the proposals. We deliver the services.
Because here’s the truth: behind every contract is a mission. Behind every mission are people – military families, underserved communities, public servants, veterans, students, scientists – depending on the systems we help build and sustain. We’re not serving a party. We’re serving a nation.
The machinery of government may sometimes feel broken, but the purpose behind it is not. It’s in the resilience of a public health program. In the innovation behind a new defense capability. In the reach of a grant-funded nonprofit working in forgotten corners of the country.
Yes, it can feel dark right now. Cynicism comes easy. But purpose still exists in this work if we remember who we’re really doing it for.
We don’t have to agree with every decision from the top to continue making a difference where we can. If anything it’s in these moments, when the headlines feel most discouraging, that we’re needed most.
So, we navigate the paradox. We hold on to our integrity. And we keep going. Not in spite of our values but because of them.
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