Cities across the country, including Austin, could soon see job cuts by a key employer — the federal government.

Why it matters: Tapped by President-elect Trump to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have vowed to cut what they deem wasteful spending.

• "We expect mass reductions," Ramaswamy told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" on Nov. 17. "We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright."
• Last year, when he was running for president, Ramaswamy pledged to immediately fire 50% of "federal bureaucrats" should he get elected.

By the numbers: About 1.7% of workers in greater Austin were federal employees in 2022 — or 23,126 workers out of 1,357,836, per the most recent Census Bureau data available.

• In Austin, they include IRS workers — the tax agency has a center near the corner of I-35 and Texas 71, air traffic controllers, Social Security employees, postal workers and judges.
• Federal employees make up the largest portion of the workforce in, naturally, Washington, D.C. (13.9%).

Follow the money: The average annual pay for a federal employee is about $106,000, per ZipRecruiter.

What they're saying: ​​"This will send shockwaves through the system and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!" Musk said in a statement.

The other side: "People are apprehensive and fearful," Nicole Cantello, an attorney with the Environmental Protection Agency who now serves as a union president representing EPA workers in the Upper Midwest, told NPR.

Reality check: But with federal employees throughout the country — think of your neighborhood letter carrier — it'll be hard for the Trump administration to make real cuts.

• Members of Congress generally are allergic to cutting hometown jobs and government services.

The bottom line: The aspiration of trillions of dollars of savings will run headlong into the unspoken governing theory of both parties, write Axios' Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen: It's easier and more popular to give than to take away.

Calling all Glen Powell doppelgängers: Now's your time to shine.

Driving the news: Celebrity lookalike contests are popping up across the country, and now it's Austin's turn.

• The free contest for Powell lookalikes kicks off at 1pm Sunday at Auditorium Shores.

What they're saying: "Do you look like Glen Powell? 🤔 ARE you Glen Powell? 😎 Think you've got what it takes to look like ATX's favorite heartthrob? Get crowned as the newest Glen Powell of ATX," the event page reads.

• The winner gets a "cowboy hat crown" and "some money," organizer Kate Carpenter told KUT.

Zoom out: The events — for Timothée Chalamet in New York, Jeremy Allen White in Chicago and Miles Teller in Philadelphia — have drawn massive crowds. Videos from the events rack up millions of views online.

What we're watching: Whether Powell, who said this year that he's moved back to Austin to complete his degree at the University of Texas, will show up for the fun.

🗳️ Mayor Kirk Watson will still avoid a runoff — by just 13 votes — after a new batch of provisional ballots was added to the Travis County election totals this week. (KXAN)

🪧 Hundreds of UT students protested an event at the LBJ School featuring former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (The Daily Texan)

🧳 Central Health fired the CEO of partner organization CommUnityCare amid a monthslong conflict between the two organizations that serve low-income residents. (KUT)

Here's what we're eyeing for some weekend fun.

Thursday

🎁 Find holiday gifts at the Austin Flea's holiday happy hour pop-up market, beginning at 4pm at Meanwhile Brewing. Free.

🎵 Celebrate 50 years of Austin City Limits with a stacked lineup of performances, including Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Eve Monsees and Billy Strings.

• Show starts at 7:30pm at ACL Live. Some tickets still available online.

Friday

📺 Watch "The Last Dragon" at Republic Square Park from 7-10pm, part of KUTX's series for fans of cult classic action films. Each screening is scored live by DJ 2-Tone Jones. Free.

🎸 See Dayglow perform at 7pm at Scoot Inn. Tickets start at $43.

Saturday

🌱 Learn about how to take care of your plants in the winter during a session at Lady Bird Wildflower Center from 10am-noon. Tickets start at $25.

Sunday

🛍️ Wrap up your weekend at the final day of The Junior League of Austin's "A Christmas Affair," featuring a market of more than 200 vendors at the Palmer Events Center from 10am-4pm. $25.

Congrats to everyone who correctly guessed our mystery subject in yesterday's newsletter — Emilie Wheelock Howson, for whom the Howson Library Branch is named.

• Howson, who died in 1957, aged 96, was the daughter of Edwin Miller Wheelock, a Unitarian minister, abolitionist and pioneering advocate for public education who settled in Texas after the Civil War. Her husband was a banker with Austin National Bank.

Flashback: The library was built in 1960 with a $111,000 bequest from Howson.

What they're saying: "Mrs. Howson was one of the finest women Austin has known, and her gift is evidence of her love for this city," then-Austin Mayor Tom Miller said.