Daniel Terna for BI; Mustafa Hussain for BI
Jill Hornick feels like she's at a funeral.
She has been a Social Security field office employee for 34 years, and serves as the administrative director of a Chicago-based union representing her colleagues. Since President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency began large-scale cuts of the federal workforce, Hornick said her emotions have moved from denial to acute pain, "like a death in the family."
Some days, she's numb. Others, she finds everything funny, laughing until her ribs hurt. She knows she's not alone: Thousands of federal workers have lost their jobs, and thousands more who remain continue to grapple with the fallout.
To mark the six-month anniversary of DOGE's cost-cutting initiatives, Business Insider spoke with 22 current federal workers about the impact on their daily routines, work responsibilities, and office moods.
Some said they're struggling to shoulder heavy workloads with shrinking numbers, while others are worried they'll be next to receive a pink slip. A few supported the Trump administration's efficiency goals, but now worry they may have gone too far.
Mustafa Hussain for BI
A report found that 216,670 jobs were cut in March due to DOGE actions, and thousands more have left their government posts this summer through retirement, buyouts, quits, and deferred resignations. A July 8 Supreme Court ruling, which gives the Trump administration the green light to continue mass firings, puts tens of thousands of additional federal jobs at risk.
One thing is clear: The initial shock of mass firings has worn off, and federal workers are settling into a new stage of processing — grief.
'A lot of it is red tape that leads to nothing'
The employees left behind told BI that their responsibilities continue to grow. Many feel "exhausted" and "burnt out" with little time during the day to take breaks, eat lunch, or catch up on work between meetings.
A few employees said their agencies still require them to write the weekly "five things" email, though it's unclear whether managers are looking at them. "Mine doesn't even read mine, since she knows I'm doing my job," one National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee said.
Some employees said that DOGE has also made it harder to get approval to buy computer monitors and chairs, book necessary travel, or move forward with research.
As one National Weather Service employee put it, "We're still having to go through four or five different layers just to get basic office supplies." Some said that their project funding was sometimes cut so far into the process that they had already bought materials, booked contractors, or purchased plane tickets, making that money and effort feel wasted.
"A lot of it is red tape that leads to nothing," another NOAA employee said.
DOGE's agenda appears to have slowed following Musk's May exit, but a Department of Defense worker feels the initiative "severely damaged the functionality of the federal government."
Federal workers emphasized that their agencies play an important role in public safety: They help mitigate damage from climate change and natural disasters, further scientific research, process taxes and court cases, ensure people enrolled in government aid get their monthly checks, and more.
"We want to do our jobs, and do it well, and we're hoping the rest of the country and the lawmakers see that and they realize how life-saving we really are," the NWS employee added.
At some agencies, the pressure of staff cuts has been coupled with limited communication from leadership. Federal workers told BI they often hear about layoffs or policy changes from news outlets or coworker group chats, not their bosses.
Daniel Terna for BI
Some agencies — like the Social Security Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration — have recently changed leadership or have interim heads. A NASA employee said the whole agency is in "limbo," with no clarity on what will happen next with staff cuts or future projects. It's a feeling they've carried for months, they said.
Edwin Osorio, a Social Security field office employee in New York City, said he agrees with the mission of DOGE and reducing wasteful spending, but he wishes the office had more checks and balances.
He said it would be better if DOGE was part of Congress, not the White House.
"Being out of the Executive Branch, it's the same as having the umpire for a Yankee game wearing a Yankee cap," Osorio said. "It makes no sense at all."
'We're all in it together'
Some employees try to keep in touch with former coworkers; others feel like the people they've known for years suddenly vanished. They wonder who will be next to leave.
"We've already lost so many talented, hardworking people who just didn't want to stick around and found better opportunities outside the federal government," the Department of Defense employee said. "Can't really blame 'em."
Still, there's a sense of camaraderie among some who remain. "We're all in it together," one federal worker said. "That solidarity helped get me through this period."
Government workers are also increasingly feeling the mental toll of unpredictability.
The NWS employee said they feel a "yo-yo of emotions" and recently visited a therapist to help treat their anxiety. Others said staff cuts and schedule changes have made it difficult for them to make financial decisions and coordinate childcare.
They do their best to cope — some have turned to creative hobbies like art or music, others try to exercise and find a few minutes of quiet every day. Almost all told BI that morale within their offices has tanked: "Laugh at work in 2025?" an Office of Personnel Management employee said. "That's a stretch."
No federal agencies have announced further plans for staff cuts under the new SCOTUS ruling, and the initial reduction-in-force deadline was moved from August to October.
BI asked the Trump administration about federal employees' specific concerns, including mentions of growing workloads, anxiety over being fired, and disruptions to their agency function.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields responded that "the previous administration artificially bloated the public sector," and "President Trump was elected to reduce the size of government, make it more efficient, and generate an economic boom the likes of which we've never seen."
Many of the federal workers BI spoke with are weighing whether they will stay. Some said it's too challenging to land a comparable job in the private sector, while others are actively looking for non-government work. A few, like Hornick and Osorio, feel committed to their public service mission and can't imagine working anywhere else.
"Employees walking around on eggshells, thinking, 'How much longer until I break? How much longer until I can't handle it anymore?'" Osorio said. "Only problem is: It's not easy to get a job, and it's not easy to replace a federal job where you do have reasonable benefits."
He wishes that more people understood the real-life impact of DOGE on federal workers.
"These are human beings who love the country, the same as the rest of the public. They love their family the same as the rest of the public. They have favorite baseball teams and favorite movies," he said. "And yes, if you cut them, they bleed too."
