In less than four weeks under President Donald Trump’s administration, one Chicago-area health care worker for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) described the situation as overwhelming. The worker, who has been employed at VA clinics for over ten years, has faced continuous stress from emails urging federal employees to resign, limited buyout options, and the forced return to offices, despite the challenges of limited space.
Things took a turn for the worse when 1,000 probationary VA employees across the country were laid off in a move that signaled further cuts under Trump’s plan to reduce the size of the federal workforce, supported by billionaire Elon Musk. This has left many employees, including the VA health care provider, feeling targeted and fearful about their job security.
“It’s like being hunted,” the employee shared. The atmosphere is tense, with workers fearing the uncertainty that comes with potential layoffs. The environment has become stressful, with some employees reporting feeling physically sick from the anxiety. While employees do not oppose efforts to tackle fraud and abuse in the system, they feel the current measures are overly harsh, affecting hard-working people who simply want to do their jobs.
In addition to the VA layoffs, unionized workers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are also protesting against Trump’s efforts to shut down the agency and the buyout program. Thousands of federal workers, including those in Chicago, are facing a similar sense of fear and uncertainty.
Loreen Targos, an executive at the American Federation of Government Employees, represents around 1,000 local EPA workers. She describes the morale across the federal government as extremely low. Many workers, including Targos, want to focus on their jobs, but now they face the added stress of being forced back to the office after months of remote work and threats of layoffs.
Targos, who is a mother to triplets, worries about how these changes will affect her family. “It’s alarming to see the president act as if he has the right to dismantle the federal government and the services we provide,” she said.
In total, about 82,000 federal workers in Illinois, including 48,300 in the Chicago area, are feeling the pressure of these decisions. The future of federal jobs in the area remains uncertain, leaving employees on edge and questioning the stability of their careers.
