Federal Employees React to Mass Firings

By Mary Alice Miller

Since Inauguration Day, Trump has unleashed Elon Musk and his DOGE team on the federal career workforce, leaving chaos in their wake. To date, approximately 225,000 jobs have been cut, with more anticipated.
The layoffs were not reflected in the February Jobs Report, which tracks the total number of workers in the U.S. (Minus farm jobs), their average hourly earnings, and the number of hours worked weekly.

This has led to unease among federal employees and contractors who have lost their jobs and those who still have them.
Some have filed suit in federal court with mixed results.
Many have taken to social media to anonymously express their anxiety.
One wrote, “It is a little depressing to have people say such hateful things about government workers. They need to keep in mind that everything we do is because Congress tells us to do it.”

Another said, “Most of us believe in what we do and have been making it happen amid budget cuts, understaffing, and disrespect for years.”
And yet another chimed in, “I (and millions of others) literally do the exact same job in the federal government as I did in the private sector. The only difference is I do for all citizens, and I get paid less.”

Several took issue with “staffers were told the reason for their dismissal was that they didn’t take the Trump administration’s ‘Fork in the Road’ deferred resignation offer.” One wrote, “You were fired because you didn’t quit.” Another wrote, “It’s all part of the greater psyop being played to demoralize those that remain.”
A military veteran wrote, “I have veteran’s preference, but even with that, I’m so freaking nervous about getting laid off!”

One poster said, “Now is the time for all eligible federal employees to join a union. We must blow those union numbers out of the water. Our only way we can hang onto any power is through our collective action.”

One poster who identified as “a Black female DoD fed” wrote, “Every mention of stifling DEI achievements feels like a slap in the face. It feels like a personal attack. Every damn day.”

Another Black female fed said, “I get it. It’s rough. But this is not our lesson to learn. I am tired of having to do it but we have to and can stay strong. We always do.” Another added, “I sometimes feel like Sophia, ‘All my life I had to fight…’”

A Black Latino federal employee said, “The attacks on our community feel almost unbearable. The elimination of employee groups has taken a deep toll on me. I know they want to dehumanize us, and honestly, it’s working. Worse, they are chipping away at our credibility and questioning our ability to do our jobs. It’s beyond demoralizing.”

Yet another wrote, “Honestly, whatever is coming our way, we have been through worse before. We can’t just forget the past and older generation of Black employees who came before us to get here. We are being called to do the same. I am ready for that challenge.”
One commented, “640 days ‘til the midterm elections.”

This poster wrote, “Worked my ass off the get my dream job. I’ll be damned if I quit on my family, the American people, or the Constitution. I will continue to protect and defend against evil.”
Another poster lamented, “What is weighing on me mentally are the memos, Eos, and the quick dismantling of the checks/balances.”

This poster wrote, “I am pissed about the whole situation, We told people what was going to happen. We warned others, and now everything our ancestors fought for is gone with the stroke of a pen. The actions of others are harming us. I witnessed people vote for him and now they and their people are being hunted by ICE.”

They added, “The government is one of the best employers for Black people, We work local, state, and federal. We are 19% of the federal workforce while being 13% of the population of the United States. The federal hiring practice really does not allow discrimination. Your resume is scored according to the position description. Each interviewee has the same question, and the answers are scored. Baby, you earned that position based on your skills, not your color.”

A Black woman in leadership at FEMA wrote, “This man is doing exactly what he said he would do. Don’t act surprised now. Good luck during wildfire and hurricane season, when you have no one to respond because you’ve reduced the force, the state and locals have maxed out their capacity, and the private sector has no idea how to coordinate any of it.”

This Black poster said, “I am enraged that, yet again, we’re asking Black people to clean up everyone else’s mess. Every. Damned. Election. Black Americans, particularly Black women, do the work. Then the rest of us screw it up and have the audacity to ask Black women to fix it.”
She added, “True patriotism is standing firm and fighting for a country that has failed to adequately reciprocate your care and protection.”

One poster said, “A MAGA acquaintance just called me in tears. He and his wife were positively gleeful when Trump won. He wanted to tell me he is being forced out of his federal service job by the new Trump mandates. He can’t afford to retire and thinks he won’t be easily employable at age 66. Cry me a river.”

Another wrote, “Had an obnoxious MAGA acquaintance two days ago whining on FB that they were going to lose their job because of the DOGE cuts (they work for a federal contractor). And they were begging for help.” The poster added, “Every single person was saying something to the effect of, ‘No, we warned you, you voted for this, you deal with it.’”

Another wrote of a Project 2025 plan to issue reports “loaded with language meant to anger a base and make them feel like firing federal workers is justified. Especially since they just purged a lot of information that could be used to research facts independently. Stay vigilant and stay strong.”

One poster suggested, “If a member of the public complains about the level of timely service, it’s totally ok to tell them that your agency is understaffed and to please contact their congressional representative(s) to file a complaint about poor service levels due to a lack of staffing.”