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 retribution, 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.”
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