Maryland Senator to laid off federal employees: ‘You did important work’

WTOP/Mitchell Miller

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It has been a difficult summer for thousands of federal workers in the D.C. area, who are seeking new employment after being laid off due to “Department of Government Efficiency” cuts.

A group of former federal employees and their children met Tuesday with U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, of Vermont, who told them it is important that their work is not forgotten.

The Democratic lawmakers thanked them for their service and acknowledged the challenges they face.

“I also want to apologize for the shabby way your government has treated you and your families,” Van Hollen said. “It’s absolutely outrageous what we’ve witnessed from the Trump administration.”

The former federal employees included those who worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which for decades has provided assistance in countries around the world. It was one of the first agencies to be gutted by President Donald Trump’s administration through DOGE, the team tasked by the president with slashing federal spending.

Some of the children in attendance wore USAID hats or buttons.

Welch told the children they should be proud of their parents.

“This is a hard lesson to learn. Sometimes in life things happen that are unfair, and they happen to people you love,” he said.

After court battles, her job is now gone   

One of those who came to the Hart Senate Building to meet with Van Hollen was Denise Joseph of Waldorf, Maryland, who is losing her job at the U.S. Department of Education, along with close to 1,400 others.

Joseph was emotional as she told Van Hollen that she had worked in the department for nearly a decade.

“Without me, they don’t have someone to help train the staff, build competencies,” she said.

Joseph worked in the Office of Postsecondary Education, helping to manage grants, scholarships and various programs.

Her job will officially be gone as of Aug. 1.

Trump has said he wants the Education Department to be dismantled.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration could go forward with its planned layoffs at the department.

Van Hollen: GOP lawmakers ‘can’t hide’ from the cuts

Van Hollen told those in attendance that their years of service in the federal government made a difference.

“You did important work on behalf of the American people,” Van Hollen said.

Van Hollen noted that when lawmakers are back in their districts, he expects they will hear from constituents about the DOGE cuts that have eliminated tens of thousands of jobs across the country.

“There are people in every one of our states who have been hurt by the decisions made by the Trump administration, and they may be going home, but they can’t hide,” he said.

“Because when they go home, they’re going to hear from federal employees who have been mistreated, but also from people who are losing the benefit of the services of those federal employees,” he added.

Many Republicans counter that federal agencies have become bloated bureaucracies that annually waste billions of dollars.

The White House has indicated it plans to offer up another rescissions package that would include more cuts from programs that Congress previously approved.

Van Hollen said Democrats will “keep pushing” in the courts, to try to make sure federal employees aren’t illegally forced out of their jobs.

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