Musk mentioned he needed to downsize the federal workforce. What was the suitable dimension, precisely? As lean as doable. Whole companies have been gutted as tens of 1000’s of federal staff have been subjected to reductions in drive, generally known as RIFs. A few of these actions have been challenged in court docket, however the Supreme Courtroom lately dominated that the Trump administration may proceed its proposals to probably lay off federal staff en masse.
“The second all the pieces crystallized for me was the day they got here for a revered profession deputy. Somebody who embodied integrity and competence. His ‘crime’? Having the center to problem DOGE’s reckless RIF plans. One afternoon, he returned from lunch to seek out safety ready at his desk. No clarification, no warning—only a quiet escort out of the constructing whereas shocked colleagues seemed on. Years of devoted service diminished to a public humiliation.” —Division of Labor worker
“I knew what the powers that be have been doing wasn’t authorized. So both they have been incompetent and did not understand it was unlawful or they knew it was unlawful and didn’t care. Which one is scarier?” —CDC worker
“What stands out to me is how disorganized and unprofessional the GSA Discount in Pressure (RIF) was. Employees have been instructed to return authorities IDs ASAP. We misplaced Google Drive entry instantly, and the company put assets about our RIF on there. We have been blocked from sending emails to non-GSA addresses. Even attempting to e mail profession paperwork to your non-public e mail tackle turned an enormous subject.” —GSA worker
“When the Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau was first gutted, one individual left their blazer within the workplace and was unable to get again into the constructing to get it. It was the one blazer they owned: They have been broke, making use of for jobs, and had nothing to put on to interviews due to this.” —CFPB worker
On February 14, tens of 1000’s of federal staff misplaced their jobs, in an occasion that might develop into recognized to these impacted because the Valentine’s Day Bloodbath. Different staff have been informed they have been going to obtain firing letters imminently—solely to attend days with no information.
“My fiancée and I had simply come again from dinner. We’re on the brink of go to mattress. I determine I’m simply going to disconnect from social media and my e mail. I’m simply going to show it off … I noticed I had an unread message. I used to be fired at 11:00, 11:30 pm. [My fiancée] appears to be like at me, and she or he sees my demeanor change. [She says,] ‘That was the e-mail, wasn’t it?’” —Fired Federal Aviation Administration aeronautical data specialist
“It was Valentine’s Day and my companion deliberate a romantic dinner for us that I ate in a catatonic state, in my sweatpants, coated in tears.” —CDC worker
On February 22, in one other echo of his Twitter takeover, Musk warned that the whole federal workforce wanted to jot down an e mail explaining what they’d gotten finished the earlier week.
“It was so humiliating to must show, ostensibly to Elon Musk—somebody not in my chain of command or perhaps a authorities worker—what I used to be doing. Not solely is it none of their enterprise what I used to be as much as (they don’t seem to be my supervisor) however they wouldn’t even perceive something I put in there anyway because it’s far too technical. I put learn receipts on my first submission, and after I hadn’t gotten pinged that it had been learn after two subsequent submissions, I simply stopped sending them. It made me so mad that not solely are they passive-aggressively insinuating I’m doing nothing, however they’re losing tons of federal staff’ time (and taxpayer cash) doing this train and so they aren’t even opening the emails. Infuriating.” —Division of Protection worker
“[Employees were responding with] emails in numerous languages … responding with the Structure, and (for somebody coming proper again from maternity depart) responding with issues resembling: ‘breastfed a new child for X variety of hours, modified Y variety of diapers with Z throughput, managed stakeholder enter from my in-laws on greatest methods to burp a toddler.’” —VA IT employee
“I really laughed fairly laborious [at Musk’s email]. It’s simply so ridiculous … It’s both [that or] be mad 24/7 (which a few of my compatriots have determined to do), and I simply don’t have the power anymore.” —FAA air visitors controller