She knew what was coming when she saw a one-on-one video conference suddenly added to her work calendar on Feb. 14.
“I hit connect and the look on [the supervisor’s] face — I will never forget it,” said the then-U.S. Fish and Wildlife probationary employee. The supervisor was visibly shaken and struggled to maintain composure while delivering the news. “The first thing out of my mouth was, ‘It’s not your fault.'”
The employee, whom WyoFile granted anonymity to because of the potential for retaliation, was among thousands of federal workers caught in billionaire Elon Musk’s aggressive federal downsizing initiative spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency, also known by its acronym DOGE.
Despite being fired on a Friday, the Fish and Wildlife worker kept her commitment to moderate the State Science Fair in Casper the next day — a gig she’d been selected for because of her career as a wildlife biologist. She did it “for the kids,” she said, and to help encourage their interest in the sciences. But when Sen. John Barrasso — an enthusiastic supporter of President Donald Trump and Musk’s efforts — arrived to speak to the attendees, she grabbed a slice of pizza and went to another room to avoid hearing his address.
The day was “crazy” with emotions, she said.
The ex-federal employee spent the following days joining impromptu group chats and video calls with other workers who’d also been purged “to give people a sense of a shared experience,” she said. “Everyone was crying, even adult men.”
The carousel of sadness, shock and anger has continued since, she said, joined by a steely sort of resolve in taking next steps, including filing for unemployment insurance and scrambling to understand if the federal government is going to make good on matters such as health insurance.
Picking up the pieces
When she was laid off, the worker was told her health care would continue for 31 days. But an apparent “screw up” at the federal agency led to her losing her coverage — a mistake she’s trying to remedy, she told WyoFile. “So that’s another fun thing,” she said.
She and other federal employees, fired or still hanging on, have made extra efforts in recent weeks to make health care appointments — just in case, she said.
“It’s degrading,” she said. “None of us want to stand and argue about our health care coverage in front of other people in a lobby in a doctor’s office. We just want to get our care taken care of — that we paid for, and that is supposed to be there, you know. So, just simple humane treatment of others would be lovely.”
Filing for unemployment insurance has been another priority. She initiated the process, but had to wait a week before receiving the proper termination paperwork to complete her application. Searching for another job in her field of expertise should take precedence, but the minutia of being newly unemployed, so far, fills a good portion of her time.
Details remain unclear
It’s unclear exactly how many federal workers in Wyoming have lost their jobs as a result of DOGE. In addition to the firings of probationary employees, Musk — who is unelected and has not been vetted or confirmed via any conventional processes — has also encouraged workers to leave voluntarily through his “Fork in the Road” resignation offer. Federal agencies have not released details about how many workers they’ve forced out — either through resignations or layoffs — in the first month of the Trump administration.
Still, state officials have noticed an uptick in unemployment claims in recent weeks.
As of Feb. 21, some 41 former federal employees had filed claims with Wyoming’s Unemployment Insurance Division, according to Wyoming Workforce Services. Twenty-four were from the Department of Agriculture, 10 were from the Department of Interior and the rest were from various other federal departments.
“We recognize that workforce changes can significantly impact individuals and communities, and we remain committed to supporting those affected,” Wyoming Workforce Services Communications Lead Erin Turbitt told WyoFile in a prepared statement. “Our team is closely monitoring the situation, and Wyoming Workforce Centers are ready to assist with reemployment efforts.”
Although states pay unemployment compensation for federal employees, federal agencies reimburse each state dollar-for-dollar “for all benefits paid,” according to the agency. Many dismissed federal employees worry about whether they will meet the unemployment insurance standard of having been terminated for no fault of their own. That qualification, Turbitt said, will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
How much a terminated federal worker might receive in unemployment insurance is determined by the person’s pre-layoff wages. The typical rate in Wyoming is about 38.6% of their wages.
The agency commonly organizes a triage effort when there’s a significant layoff in the state, say, at a refinery or coal mine. The response typically includes sending a team of staff with expertise in how to apply for unemployment insurance and skills retraining to the impacted community, and includes partnering with local community colleges and regional workforce centers.
But the federal employee downsizing isn’t centered in any one particular Wyoming community.
‘We should not forget’
The DOGE federal employee downsizing effort is intended to “make the federal workforce more efficient and effective,” according to a White House communique. The Feb. 11 release states, “There are too many federal employees,” and “no one knows exactly how many federal agencies exist, but the Federal Register lists over 400,” and “the federal workforce contributes significantly to federal spending and debt.”
“Just simple humane treatment of others would be lovely.”
fired federal worker in Wyoming
In a statement to WyoFile, Gov. Mark Gordon, who last week attended a bipartisan gathering of the nation’s governors in Washington D.C., said he was “sympathetic to any Wyomingite who loses a job.”
Gordon called for empathy as Musk and Trump continue to pursue widespread layoffs. “We should not forget these people have families and responsibilities, and we should have compassion when making these difficult decisions,” the governor said.
“I support the President’s goal of right-sizing the federal workforce, and I have communicated that it should be done in a way that ensures we’re not compromising public safety or critical programs,” Gordon said. “I have also spoken to members of the President’s cabinet about the importance of our national parks, forests and public lands and their critical role in Wyoming’s economy.”
The cuts at the federal level have largely been driven by Musk and Russell Vought, Trump’s controversial director of the Office of Management and Budget, neither of whom is known to have any intrinsic connection or experience managing the West’s vast public lands. But other members of Trump’s cabinet, such as new U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, formerly Gordon’s counterpart in North Dakota, may provide a more sympathetic ear.
Burgum is one of the cabinet members Gordon spoke with, governor’s office spokesperson Michael Pearlman told WyoFile. Other cabinet members with whom Gordon discussed the importance of federal land programs to Wyoming’s economy include Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, a former fossil fuel executive.
WyoFile also reached out to Wyoming’s congressional delegation. Reporters asked Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, as well as Rep. Harriet Hageman, if they were working on any programs to assist federal workers in Wyoming who lose their jobs and whether they were working to ensure downsizing does not cut too deeply into federal programs integral to Wyoming’s economy. None of the delegates or their staff responded to the questions.
In public statements, Wyoming’s congressional delegation has supported the federal employee downsizing via DOGE.
“What have we seen happen with DOGE?” Barrasso says on the Senate floor in an edited video post on X on Tuesday. “What we have seen is actually pointing out fraud and waste in government. The American people are supportive…Promises that [President Donald Trump] made prior to the election, promises kept now that he is in the White House.”
The mere insinuation that any Republican politician in Wyoming cares anything about anything but their own political well-being and inflated ego is an absolute joke. The mention of Barrasso addressing a Science Fair is an even larger and more absurd joke. I, as many. can only hope that these political frauds meet the same employment fate as the many fired Federal employees who have actually been working hard and passionately for the people of Wyoming and the United States during their careers and who would have done excellent work in the future except for this farce of a Federal Administration and its unhired henchman. Wyoming Republicans share the shame of this disgusting action. I have loved Wyoming since my childhood, but I never intend to spend anther day or another penny in the disgusting place.
I don’t like to see anyone lose their job; but government workers have been insulated from the real world for so long with the expectation of lifelong employment.
In my case, I dodged the layoff bullet for 14 of the 16 years I worked at a now defunct industrial engineering company. I watched the company go from ~4,000 employees in the early 80’s to <400 when I left of my own accord. I saw so many talented people's lives upended. Where was the liberal media's outrage and sympathy when private sector employees lost their jobs by the thousands over the decades, especially to offshoring?
The government is bloated, and it needs to go on a diet. It won't be easy or painless; but it needs to be done. The alternative of a bankrupt USA is far worse to everyone in our great nation.
Agree totally
If you ask me, the most useless government employees are in Congress. Let’s replace them with a more efficient system where voters make the decisions, instead of donors.
Agree
Trump and his administration only see public lands as assets to be exploited for the maximum dollar. Trump sees wildlife as a nuisance and a liability. I honestly expected more from Wyoming politicians.
I just want to say that Federal employees getting fired or laid off do not get any sympathy from me.
I have 3 degrees in engineering, and over a 40 year career, I have been laid off, or fired 6 times. I admit, one of those was my own fault, so let’s just say I was fired or laid off 5 times in 40 years.
Real life, real situations, due to economic downtrends, loss of a major client, obsolescence or making a wrong decision and getting fired, is a REAL LIFE consequence for working in the real world.
Federal employees almost always made more money than I did, had better benefits, and had protection for them to keep their job.
Oops! Not any more I guess. It’s been a long time coming, and now is the time. Suck it up, buttercup!
❤️
sounds like you are mad about someone making more money and better benefits than you, things do happen yes ,what if that was your son or daughter,would you tell them the same thing and be heartless, iwould hope not.did you get sympathy when you were fired six times ? i bet you did
It’s the origin story for the angry boomer.
Wow, not a single one of Wyoming’s elected federal officials answered questions asked by WyoFile. This is typical of the three of them. Could it be that they are merely Trump syncophants and care little for the average Wyoming citizen?
Of course not. Crazy as a loon Hageman owes her election to her hugging Trump in Casper. Lawyers and a doctor are the supposed elected representatives who fully support the convicted felon. Hageman is “ecstatic” as she stated at CPAC this weekend with what is occurring in Wyoming. Now Gordon says he fully supports it. Lummis told the Wyoming Legislature she has never seen so many good things happen so quickly.
Getting rid of federal workers that manage our lands and resources has a hidden agenda. It is smoothing the way for the greedy to rape and scrape our public lands without any oversight. That happened in the past with many wildlife species almost wiped out and forests managed for beetle paradise. We profess to care about our state and public lands, but supporting Trump’s agenda says otherwise.
It’s easy factor to measure any employee’s productivity. One been used for decades is simply dividing PRODUCTIVITY BY HOURS WORKED. Look at it this way. Everyone that has went and gotten Drivers license renewed or vehicle registration done has been frustrated by time you sat there watching state/county employees just sit and fiddle around look busy. You all have commented to friends neighbors about how inefficient the workers are. Many of you have commented how if you were the boss you could get more done with less with simple oversight. That is what is happening now. Us the “BOSSES” are the taxpayers. We the taxpayers voted or hired him to bring effective efficiency to the federal workforce. That is exactly what will take place. Toes and fingers are being stepped on. Egos are being bruised. Computers were hawked to speed up processing of paper work. But it slowed down. Why? People. Now let’s change this. Bring costs down. Speed up the system. Get things done. Make these workers ACCOUNTABLE to us the taxpayers. WE THE PEOPLE. We are the BOSSES of state/federal government. Act like it.
You overstate your case. Got any facts to back up your assertion? Reads like hearsay to me.
Most American people are not supportive of the mass layoff and firings of federal workers and I wonder where he got that idea. The fact that none of the elected officials for Wyoming didn’t answer any questions put to them by WyoFile is typical for those 3. They care squat about the people of Wyoming. The need to lose their jobs next. Vote them out!!!!! We have the power of the ballot box. (so far) Musk-rat wasn’t elected to any office and shouldn’t be allowed access to those federal departments including his IT goons.
All the talk about learning to run the government (we, the people) like a business. I thought one of the main purposes of government is to provide services to the people that can’t be easily done by the private sector. And taxes are necessary to fund these things. I’m willing to pay my fair share as long as others pay theirs. I guess that’s a pipe dream, Mr. Musk. I don’t think his fair share gets covered.
MAGA Mike just raised the national budget by 4 1/2 trillion dollars with a $4 trillion tax cut, 1 1/2trillion dollar spending cuts,Over $800 billion Medicaid cuts. I didn’t see any national debt payment that our Three federal politicians claim they’re worried about. Elon Musk has no idea what he is doing except firing federal workers. Elon Musk is the biggest leech on the taxpayers there is.Musk has drained $30 billion from the taxpayers. Time to cut SpaceX out of the federal contracts. He hasn’t saved the taxpayers nothing this is a disgrace.
Perhaps our Wyoming delegation will lead by example? I call on them to reduce their staff by at least 10 %. More would be better and would really show that they believe in reducing the Government.
Wyoming politicians giddy about their WY constituents losing their job. That’s where we are now. Brasso’s father raised a coward.
For the apologists and those in the backrow, Federal workers in your community not only contribute valuable but they bring tax dollars back into the local economy. It is cyclical. Team orange isn’t rooting out corruption or cutting costs, they are just taking that money out of Lander, Torrington, Rawlins and Star Valley and moving it into Musk’s pockets via expanding his already lucrative Federal contracts. The people of WY lose essential services, the billionaire gets more US taxpayer money. What a deal. The new GQP budget is going to add $5T in debt. Team orange played the rural rubes, and the WY politicians are laughing at us all.
Well it was bound to happen after years of nonessential expansion I am sure we all have had a conversation with a person whose job was just checking in , punching the clock, or video zoom check ins. So I feel it’s good and it’s time. We have Oil field workers on the patch , Coal miners, Refinery workers and even our military that are constantly getting this treatment but never public support from those who now reap. Cheers to the 150 year old illegal alien living in the Ocean beach community on taxpayers dollar for getting away with it this long. Good luck to your honest efforts,self employment never had so much going for it.
After reading the comment from Rebecca Buss regarding Congressional expenses, I did a quick search and found that the annual expense is about six billion dollars (I couldn’t find the exact amount ).
For this investment, we get (since 2001)an average of 147 days in session for the House and 165 days for the Senate.
I am positive that our delegation would insist that there is no “waste and abuse” in this expense.
Ok. How about cutting the jobs of staff processing grazing permits
Or cutting jobs of people cutting PILT checks for counties? Or jobs of folks writing checks to the state for oil royalties shared off federal land (50%)? Better look close at impacts before cheering on a blunderbus approach firing people.
I haven’t yet heard anyone who is pro Trump and Dodge say what, exactly, “downsizing” the Federal Government will do for the average citizen . Or give specific examples of “waste and fraud.” Obviously states that vote Republican pretty much in lockstep are not being spared. Life lessons….
The IRS actually runs in the black by going after tax fraud AND could make more “profit” if it was better staffed which Biden was doing. So how do these “wonderful” businessmen justify cutting the best performing (financially speaking) agency of the government??? Maybe because it was going after them and all their cronies? They have also cut staff in several agency’s and fired IG’s that were going after $2Billion in Covid fraud (who also could have been getting more money back faster if better staffed). Again – who benefits from getting rid of these and other regulatory staff/agencies (like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)??? It’s not the American people! It’ll be big business and corporations – all the billionaires that paid to get Trump in office and who want to be oligarchs when this becomes a dictatorship. Thanks you to our Wyoming Congressional Delegation for ceding all your power to the President. Why don’t you just quit and save the tax payers some more money.
Riki: Taxation is theft, extortion to be specific. The IRS and the income tax should be completely abolished.
Americans have been under the IRS thumb for over 100 years.
Time to change course, repeal the 16th Amendment!
Wyoming Voted for this! The Wyoming Representatives don’t care about us. They have drunk the Kool-Aid and bent the knee to a Sex offender, felon, and self-proclaimed King. I put the blame on all those who voted for him just to own the libs.
Amen, what you say is so completely true.
Barrasso said, “What we have seen is actually pointing out fraud and waste in government.” Such an irresponsible statement from someone who should know better. The good doctor knows that you don’t take a meat axe into the operating room to do surgery and, for the same reason, you don’t take a wrecking ball approach to get at any waste or inefficiencies in government. But what we are seeing is “shoot first and ask questions later” with resulting unbelievable chaos. This is exactly what Trump wants. He does not want to solve problems. Instead, he is doing what he always does, create chaos and he is using Musk as his tool to carry it out.
I thought doctors took an oath “to do no harm”. Evidently that does apply outside the medical profession.
Meanwhile, president musk rat obtained another government contract. Add that to the $22 billion dollars that the South African immigrant is taking from the American citizen. Vice president Trump is weak, he can’t do the right thing for the people. The state of Wyoming is inundated by right wing invaders.
Claiming “fraud and waste” yet proving zero proof or evidence of said fraud and waste. What do these 20 year old “DOGEbags” that have access to our government payment system know about life other computer code and anime? This will all end badly and I’m here for it. You reap what you sow, voters.
Fraud and abuse? Please explain further Senator Barrasso. I thought that rooting out wastefulness, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers funds was part of your job description. You must not have done too good a job at it as you have to depend on Elon Musk to do your job for you. Maybe you should be bounced also.
I feel for these people. They are not part of the corruption in Washington. I think we should have started with Congress’ pay and pensions. That would save a pretty penny.
If they didn’t get pay and pensions who would run?
I have never seen anything close to this outpouring of empathy when people in the private sector are fired. What a bunch of cry babies.
your political party is still crying about lost coal and manufacturing jobs.
I have no doubt that various Federal agencies can be more efficient and cost effective. However each agency should be subject to careful scrutiny and cuts determined with scalpel cuts, not from a chainsaw wielded by a mad man from South Africa.
It is obvious that Barrasso, Lummis and Hageman have no empathy or sympathy for the WY workers and others who have had their lives shattered by an insensitive and a likely illegal email.
No doubt they have eaten well today and will get a good nights sleep. Sweet dreams!
I agree!
So sad for all our dedicated workers. There are bad apples everywhere. Our President destroying livelihood and important work by fellow Americans is going to be disastrous for our county.
Actions have consequences. Remember, WTYS.
Don’t get mad, get even.
Welcome to the world of the private sector. I worked construction at one point in my life and the job was here today gone tomorrow without any warning. Most jobs are like that.
Face it, WY voted for a madman. It’s not about waste and fraud, it’s about giving the GOP billionaire donors a tax cut, and the rest of us the shaft.
The misery is just starting…almost no one in the bottom 90% will be spared.
You are so right! Wake up people and stop a nazi from taking over the US
And guess what: it was unfair when you experienced it, too. What’s with you people who want everyone else to suffer the same way you did, instead of saying, “hey, what I went through was unfair and hard, so I don’t want other people to go through it either”? Build a better world instead of dragging everyone down by the ankles.
Agreed.
Ever hear of organizing? Unions?