Left in limbo: How federal workers still on the job are coping with chaos

Left in limbo: How federal workers still on the job are coping with chaos

More than 100 days into Donald Trump’s presidency, many federal workers have decided to do something that was unthinkable on inauguration day: quit their jobs. As the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency cuts budgets and headcounts across the government, a workforce used to job security is now beset by low morale and deep uncertainty. Among those who’ve been fired or quit are tens of thousands of highly trained experts and specialists, draining the agencies of their knowledge base. Deeper cuts are likely to come. Weeks away from hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is set to lose roughly 1,000 workers – 20% of its full-time staff – who took a buyout offer. About 25% of Internal Revenue Service workers, roughly 22,000 people, are planning to take buyouts. The Environmental Protection Agency this week made another offer to all employees – open through May 5 – to quit now and be paid through the end of September. Those left behind now face a highly uncertain future in which a job that once seemed secure could disappear in a flash, leaving them wondering if it makes any sense to stay. Many of the more than a dozen workers who spoke to CNN describe a culture of fear that now permeates.