Fired federal workers say 'cold and cruel' cuts upended their lives

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Published 6:06 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2025


The termination notice came just before Valentine's Day, and Elena Moseyko's heart was shattered as she broke down crying in front of her two young children. She has bills to pay – a mortgage, preschool tuition, a car payment – and a scared family. “I feel so angry now at the administration because I traumatized my kids,” she said. "I wish I would’ve never joined the federal government.”

Moseyko joined the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs last year as a data scientist. She’d been “happily employed” in the private sector for a consulting firm but thought a government job seemed more stable. Instead, her life was turned upside down last week after President Donald Trump’s administration began instituting mass layoffs as part of an aggressive effort to trim the federal workforce.

USA TODAY spoke to federal workers fired from the departments of Education, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and Transportation who said they were shocked, angry and emotionally distraught by the terminations. They were scrambling over the weekend to figure out how to file for unemployment benefits and reviewing their budgets to adjust to a new financial reality. They worried about everything from making rent to paying student loans.

Many talked about going into government work because they value public service and feeling like those values are being trampled. "I'm much more angry than devastated," said Chelsea Milburn, a 34-year-old Navy reservist, who lost her job as a public affairs specialist for the Department of Education. "It took away my hope that I would continue to be respected and valued for my service. And especially in the way the termination happened."

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/16/federal-workers-trump-musk-firings/78728081007/

[underpants]

1. Aside from the obvious, this hurts people paying off student loans

The PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) program is still active as far as I know. If you work in public service (Fed State and some nonprofits I think) and you pay for 10 straight years AND you have the right DOE loan - you can apply and get whatever’s remaining forgiven.

I don’t remember if there’s a time requirement on public service or if it’s that you are currently in public service.

[COL Mustard]

6. It's 120 payments.

The payments don't have to be consecutive. AFAIK it's still active. I have about a year to go to qualify for it.

[underpants]

7. I read it as consecutive but I could be wrong.

I have been before and I will be again.

[COL Mustard]

9. From studentaid.gov

Do I need to make consecutive payments to qualify for PSLF?
No. The 120 payments do not have to be consecutive payments. For example, if you have a period of employment with a non-qualifying employer, you won’t lose credit for prior qualifying payments you made. However, a payment can be counted only if you are employed full-time by a qualifying employer at the time you make the payment.

[Beachnutt]

2. I want to know

who these people voted for or if they even voted.
Feeling sorry for a republican trump voter who has lost a job due to his policy is like feeling sorry for a drunk driver who crashed into a tree.

[Hugin]

5. Federal employees went for Harris-Walz by double digits in 2024.

They tend to reside in the group who are college educated. Which also went Democratic.

This is one of the reasons they are being targeted by Trump.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. All policies - tariffs, layoffs, tax cuts, deregulation, AI - feed inflation for the Crypto Bros.

That is what we face going forward. Gutting rule of law same end game, and it's really part of deregulation.

Many YouTube videos - right wing, investors, libertarians - predict gold $5,000 soon.

That is who is in control of the USA. Crypto interests and AI and Musk-tech.

MAGA will not keep up with this game. They have no idea.

[TommieMommy]

4. The stupid moron is destroying so many lives. I feel bad for the innocent people.

So many families will end up hungry and homeless because of him. 😞

[Deminpenn]

8. Just as a note, there are more than a few federal civil servants

who are double-dipping reitred military, especially in DoD. I'd bet the VA and DHS also have quite a few, too. These military put in their time, retire and are hired back as civilians able to put in a full federal government career and collect two nice pensions.

[Wuddles440]

10. And you have an issue with such service?

These individuals first served the nation in the military and once again as civilian, public servants. Any benefits they received for such services are more than justified. The only people I know that hate public servants are MAGATS! They're always selfish and can't comprehend anyone serving any one else than themselves. It's always, I got mine and fuck everyone else - survival of the fittest.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Not just there but also HHS

where a number may have been in the medical corps and are often reservists or retired after 20 years, and are working in science-related jobs (including joining PHS).

[Evolve Dammit]

16. They earned both. Double dipping is RW bullshit

[Deminpenn]

18. No, it's a real thing

and quite a lucrative retirement.

This is opposed to civilian retirees under CSRS, who if they took another non-federal job and earned enough credits to qualify for social security, have their gov't pensions reduced by an offset. FTR, I'm not sure if FERS works differently though.

[Evolve Dammit]

19. The offset (WEP) has been eliminated after 20 plus years. Signed by Pres. Biden before leaving office (Collins/ Brown)

If you worked for both, you EARNED both. All those years, people in 14 states got screwed out of SS that had the offset. Finally corrected

[Wuddles440]

21. Right wing talking point!

Once again, if they performed duties as a public servant they deserve all the benefits they are entitled too. This crap attacking public servants is right out of the Drumpf/Musk/MAGAT playbook! Good luck with your private sector masters because they don't give a shit about you and only care about how to screw consumers to enrich themselves.

[somsai]

11. Loosing one's job is often a disheartening thing

at least most people will be able to find other employment at incomes similar to the jobs they lost.

I read an article yesterday showing how unemployment is actually closer to 25% if you include all of those who are only able to find part time work but wish to work full time, or those making less than $25K a year which is considered too little to live on. Using official criteria, a homeless person living in his car working with a job that hires him only on weekends is employed.

Back before the election I often heard people say employers had more jobs than they had people to fill the spots they had, or employers severely lacked workers with the skills they needed. I knew then this was not true. I hope others come to realize that until we all have jobs that pay enough to live on we are subject to voters supporting the destruction of all we've come to rely on for consistency in our lives.

[raccoon]

23. I hope they do but IMO that isn't the case.

“ least most people will be able to find other employment at incomes similar to the jobs they lost.”

[somsai]

12. losing one's job is a horrible thing.

at least most people will be able to find other employment at incomes similar to the jobs they lost.

I read an article yesterday showing how unemployment is actually closer to 25% if you include all of those who are only able to find part time work but wish to work full time, or those making less than $25K a year which is considered too little to live on. Using official criteria, a homeless person living in his car working with a job that hires him only on weekends is employed.

Back before the election I often heard people say employers had more jobs than they had people to fill the spots they had, or employers severely lacked workers with the skills they needed. I knew then this was not true. I hope others come to realize that until we all have jobs that pay enough to live on we are subject to voters supporting the destruction of all we've come to rely on for consistency in our lives.

[Angrybob2001]

13. limited pool

A thought, theres a number of jobs in a given area and now the pool of available workers has increased. employers can now pick and choose and pay below market rates.

Another thought, if companies have government contracts or provide services to the government do they want to jeopardize those contracts by hiring undesirable employees that are tainted by verboten ideologies. The calculus has gotten very complicated. If you think that musk doesn't have a database of personnel that has been crossed over to a database of hundreds of traits that google, facebook apple and twitter all have compiled for "advertising" purposes, you are far more trusting than me

[Evolve Dammit]

15. The cruelty is part of their enjoyment. Evil bastards all.

[CTyankee]

20. Hopefully, she can find a job as the job market adjusts to such disruption. It's not good; there is nothing good about

it. But life often does that to you, unfortunately. And life also hands you disillusionment, as Milburn is obviously experienced. I think the pushback will be strong and we will eventually win. But this teaches us a lesson: nothing lasts forever and you have to be ready for a fight if that is what it takes.