Victoria Chege, a 24-year-old federal worker, recently faced an unexpected career setback just seven weeks into her new role. Employed as a program and management analyst with the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., Chege received an abrupt email terminating her employment due to performance issues. This notification arrived at approximately 2 p.m., leaving her stunned. She was not alone; several of her peers received similar termination notices on the same day, adding to the growing uncertainty within the federal workforce.
The sudden job cuts come amid broader efforts by President Donald Trump to reduce the size of the federal workforce since taking office in January. These reductions have impacted various departments, including Interior, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. Chege, who was part of the Pathways Program—a yearlong initiative aimed at encouraging young individuals to join the public sector—found herself among the estimated 220,000 probationary federal employees with less than one year of experience as of March 2024.
For several weeks, Chege has documented her experiences on TikTok, sharing insights about the federal workforce and correcting misconceptions about public sector employment. Her social media presence has become a valuable resource for understanding the challenges faced by federal employees during these tumultuous times.
Reflecting on her experience, Chege expressed feelings of bewilderment and concern.
"At that point, I hadn't heard from any of my managers or supervisors. I'm pretty sure they were blindsided, in the same way that the people who were actually terminated were blindsided." – Victoria Chege
On the weekend of her termination, she had been anxiously checking her email following a chaotic Friday afternoon when she and many colleagues were briefly locked out of their work accounts. This incident fueled speculation and anxiety about potential job losses among employees.
Despite these challenges, Chege remains committed to public service, saying,
"I chose to work in the federal government because the work we do helps people every day, and not just working to make a singular person or entity richer." – Victoria Chege
Her dedication is echoed by her peers in the federal workforce.
"The people I have met while working in the federal government have been extremely passionate about the work they do as a public servant," – Victoria Chege
The current wave of terminations has raised questions about the future of many probationary employees like Chege. She commented on misconceptions surrounding their probationary status.
"A lot of people I've been seeing think that the probation-year period means we were already doing something wrong," – Victoria Chege
As more federal workers face similar uncertainty, five unions have taken legal action against the Trump administration. They hope to block what they fear could be mass firings affecting hundreds of thousands of federal employees who did not accept buyouts. This legal battle underscores the deepening rift between federal employees and the administration's workforce policies.
Chege's experience highlights the personal impact of these policy changes. She recalls an interaction with a colleague,
"I think he was calling me to see why I wasn't logged on for the day, and I mentioned that I was terminated this weekend." – Victoria Chege
The abrupt nature of these terminations has left many employees in limbo regarding practical matters.
"We don't even know when or where to turn in our government-issued devices," – Victoria Chege