Federal probationary employees who were recently fired as part of the sweeping cuts carried out by President Donald Trump’s administration are not sure what to do at the moment, largely because they don’t know whether or not they will be reinstated, with legal challenges pending.
A group of them shared their stories on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
“Today, I’m scared,” said Dan Leckie, who was abruptly fired from his job with the General Services Administration.
Leckie just moved to the D.C. area from California with his wife and their newborn baby.
“I’m scared for what the next few months look like,” he said. “I’m scared for those that depend on me and my salary. I’m scared to lose the home we haven’t even finished unpacking yet.”
The fired employees described how they were dismissed abruptly, receiving only a brief email.
“We were not lazy bureaucrats who loafed around all day,” said Ashley Ranalli, who worked for the National Park Service until she was laid off last month.
“Formerly, I was a schoolteacher and a park ranger,” Ranalli said. “I’m also a cancer survivor, and now I don’t have health insurance.”
Madelyn de Manincor, who was also fired from the National Park Service, said she “went through the stages of grief” after receiving the termination email.
“What will I do for work now?” she asked. “Will there even be a position available for me in this newly oversaturated job market? And, mostly, how does one cope with losing their dream job so suddenly and move forward?”
The employees spoke as legislation was being introduced in Congress to ensure that if they are reinstated, they would not need to restart their probationary period for the same job they previously held.
“Under current federal law, there is no uniform provision in statute that guarantees if a probationary federal employee is separated from service during this period, that if and when they are reinstated, they will not have to restart their probationary period,” said Maryland Democratic Rep. Sarah Elfreth, who introduced the measure in the House.
Maryland and 19 other states are suing multiple federal agencies, arguing the Trump administration has illegally fired thousands of federal probationary workers.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown is leading the coalition of attorneys general in the federal lawsuit, filed late Thursday in Maryland, where the state estimates that about 10% of households receive wages from the federal government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
