NEW YORK — As some recently laid-off federal employees struggle to find new employment and healthcare coverage, they face an unexpected challenge: lack of support, and even outright celebration of their job loss, from family members.
The deep political divisions within the country are now infiltrating personal relationships, manifesting in text messages, social media posts, and tense discussions as Americans grapple with the consequences of governmental cost-cutting measures. Instead of finding sympathy, some dismissed workers encounter family and friends who firmly believe in the necessity of reducing what they perceive as excessive government spending.
“I feel like the government has turned me into a public enemy, and that sentiment is now affecting my family relationships,” says 24-year-old Luke Tobin, who was let go from his technician position with the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest last month.
Tobin’s dismissal prompted him to rush to refill his prescriptions before losing his health benefits and to complete numerous job applications for any available work, including positions at fast-food restaurants. However, the reactions from some family members, who view his firing as “a necessary step to make the government great again,” have been particularly disheartening.
“They are unable to separate their political beliefs from supporting their own family members,” Tobin states.
Kristin Jenn experienced a similar reaction from relatives after learning that the National Park Service ranger position she was about to start had been temporarily suspended due to a hiring freeze implemented by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). She anticipates the position will be eliminated entirely.
As she expressed her disappointment over the potential loss of her dream job, some of her predominantly conservative family members unfriended her on social media, while others are giving her the cold shoulder. Most of them support the budget cuts, even if she is directly affected.
“My world is falling apart because I’m unable to work in my chosen field,” says Jenn, 47, from Austin, Texas. “The lack of family support on top of that is incredibly painful.”
The discord has even affected Jenn’s relationship with her mother, a former federal employee. When Jenn criticizes the administration’s actions, her mother simply expresses her support for the president.
“She has somehow come to believe that public servants are unproductive parasites, even though she herself was one,” Jenn explains.
The federal job cuts are a result of DOGE’s efforts to identify and eliminate perceived waste within government agencies. While an official count of the firings has not been released, estimates suggest that thousands of employees across various parts of the country have been affected.
More layoffs are anticipated as DOGE continues its work.
Eric Anderson, 48, of Chicago, was still reeling from his dismissal from his biological science technician role at the National Parks Service when he saw his aunt’s social media post celebrating the DOGE cuts. According to Anderson, the post conveyed the sentiment, “It’s wonderful to see all this waste being eliminated.”
He becomes agitated when he thinks about it.
“Do you consider me waste?” he asks, his voice rising as he recalls the post. “Many people are suffering right now who are not waste.”
Erica Stubbs, who worked as a forestry technician with the U.S. Forest Service in Boulder, Colorado, is avoiding social media to avoid the negativity directed towards federal employees.
Although most of her acquaintances have been supportive since her firing, some have made casual remarks about the need to eliminate positions like hers.
“They tell me that it’s simply cutting out the excess spending and that my job wasn’t that important,” says 27-year-old Stubbs. “I’m not claiming it’s the most crucial job in the world, but it’s my livelihood. It’s important to me.”
Social media is filled with posts celebrating the layoffs and encouraging DOGE to continue the cuts. In a deeply divided nation, many view the cutbacks through their own political perspectives.
One person’s misfortune, it seems, can be another’s satisfaction.
Riley Rackliffe, formerly an aquatic ecologist at Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, was encouraged by the outpouring of support he received after his firing, with numerous friends and relatives offering to share his resume, contact their representatives, or even contribute to his mortgage.
However, this was mixed with animosity.
When his firing was reported in the local news, a Facebook post of the article generated a flurry of comments disparaging him and applauding the layoffs. One commenter referred to Riley, who is 36 and holds a Ph.D., as a “glorified pool boy” whose job could be performed by anyone.
Even some of Rackliffe’s friends tempered their condolences with support for cutting jobs they considered to be unnecessary government bloat.
“Hey, I’m sorry you lost your job, but I think we really need to eliminate some of this government waste,” Rackliffe recalls one friend texting him, expressing support for DOGE’s goals. “He essentially said, ’We’ve got to do this. We’ve got to rip off the Band-Aid.”
What hurts most, Rackliffe says, is the implication that people like him were lazy and unproductive, collecting substantial salaries for meaningless work.
“It’s truly hurtful for the president to suggest that you don’t matter or that your job consisted of sitting at home doing nothing and getting paid,” he says. “I’d like to see him searching for parasitic snails in spiny naiad in 120-degree weather. He’s the one who plays golf at taxpayer expense. I don’t even know how to golf.”
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