Fired Federal Workers Are Overwhelmed and Depressed — But Help Is Available

As of late March, at least 120,000 federal workers have been laid off as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to shrink government spending. The cuts affect employees at more than two dozen agencies and in all 50 U.S. states. Those statistics include more than 2,100 Department of Education workers and 780 employees at the HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development — more than 80% of the latter’s workforce. The entirety of the Agency for International Development has also been fired, estimated at around 10,000 workers.

But numbers can only tell part of a story. And as more and more of these laid-off federal workers give voice to their subjective experiences, the true fallout of the cuts becomes increasingly obvious.

One anonymous ex-employee of the National Institutes of Health says the way she was dismissed made her feel like she’s "losing hope in humans," as reported by KFF.

"I am going through hell," she said. "They took my job and my life from my hands without any reason."

Federal layoffs cause more than just financial insecurity

Losing a job is, obviously, traumatic just for the loss of routine and paycheck alone. But for many of these federal employees, the sudden and causeless rupture to their lives has had severe consequences on their mental health, too.

Many of these federal workers have been in their positions for their entire careers, relying on the stability of their jobs to support their families. Suddenly, all of that has been thrown into disarray — which leaves plenty of them feeling overwhelmed and depressed enough to seek out psychiatric care and medication in the aftermath. (Of course, the loss of employer-sponsored insurance coverage could make this vital care less accessible to those who most need it.)

In addition, the effect ripples out to those connected to the federal worker — the spouses and kids who may lose their own insurance coverage by proxy, not to mention the additional stress that can exacerbate family tensions and conflicts.

Jennie Brand, a sociology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, writes that job loss (or "displacement") "is associated with subsequent unemployment, long-term earnings losses and lower job quality; declines in psychological and physical well-being; loss of psychosocial assets; social withdrawal; family disruption; and lower levels of children's attainment and well-being." In short, these losses can create an "intergenerational impact of instability," she says.

And all of that is in addition to the societal and cultural ramifications of the cuts. NOAA, for instance, has already lost about a thousand employees, which may impact our ability to accurately predict the worsening storms that are causing so much structural damage (and skyrocketing homeowners insurance prices).

If you lost your job, help is available

Federal layoffs are still ongoing — so if you’ve lost your position as part of the cuts, know that you’re not alone. Reaching out to other federal workers in your position can be a major balm. You may also be able to find, or even start, a local support group to create an ongoing space for discussion and aid.

On a more granular level, though, laid-off employees may be worrying about tangible resources like money and health insurance.

Along with filing for unemployment, it’s worth checking out the health insurance plans available through the health care marketplace — aka Obamacare. Although the Open Enrollment period for 2025 has ended, job loss is one way to qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to ensure that you and your family have the coverage you need. (You may also be eligible for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC), which is similar to COBRA coverage in the private sector. However, marketplace coverage tends to be the cheapest option.)

The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) also offers a curated list of resources at both the national and regional levels that can help federal employees facing these cuts.

This problem belongs to all of us, not just those directly affected by job loss — so don’t hesitate to reach out to your community for the help you need.