Every society is X missed meals away from anarchy. For a society like America that hasn't experienced famine en masse in almost a century, that X wouldn't need to be too high. They can ignore their kids but not their bare bones basics.

I don’t think you realize how hard it is to fill these critical jobs. You would need skilled labor at pay substantially below the private market rate. A lot of these talented people work for the government because they’re patriotic. And this admin is doing its best to piss off these people.