NC former federal workers laid off by DOGE share layoff impacts and seek support
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- DOGE-led federal layoffs eliminated roles across FEMA, EPA and USAID in 2025.
- Dozens gathered in Chapel Hill to share layoff impacts and access local support.
- Former workers cited community harm and job losses in critical public sectors.
In two months, Sarah Kinnard of Orange County may lose her home — another setback following the loss of her job due to cuts made by DOGE, the federal Department of Government Efficiency.
“My lease is up in October. I can’t in good conscience (renew) the lease without having a job,” Kinnard said through tears. “I have one more month’s worth of savings, and that’s it.”
Kinnard went back to school 15 years ago for a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s of public administration, opening the door to new career opportunities. Three years ago, she landed a job with FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where she wrote national preparedness reports.
Despite her role supporting communities during disasters, Kinnard was given just one day’s notice before being terminated in May. She got one month’s severance pay. By September, her unemployment benefits will run out. Without a job lined up, she will be forced to tap into what’s left of her savings and rely on help from family, just to get by.
“I was waiting tables for 15 years,” Kinnard said. “I don’t want to go back to waiting tables, but I might have to.”
Weeks after President Donald Trump took office in January, more than 200 FEMA employees like Kinnard were abruptly terminated by DOGE, then led by billionaire Elon Musk. The layoffs were part of a wave of cuts across federal agencies that left tens of thousands unemployed.
On Saturday, Kinnard joined dozens of other former federal workers at Blackwood Farm Park in Chapel Hill to share how DOGE-led layoffs have upended their lives and discuss the broader impact of the cuts in the community. Many of them were employed by the Environmental Protection Agency, RTI International or the U.S. Agency for International Development or USAID, which DOGE effectively eliminated.
The event, “DOGE Days Are Over,” was organized by the Orange County Democratic Party as a support and networking space, offering access to local resources such as food banks and job referrals.
The federal government is one of the largest employers in the Triangle. More than 23,000 federal employees work in North Carolina’s 2nd, 4th, and 13th congressional districts alone. Laid-off workers on Saturday stressed that, beyond personal hardship, their job losses have worsened the very issues many of them were working to address in their roles.
“We know personally they’re affected, but the bigger picture is also devastating,” said Lynn McGee, chair of the Orange County Democrats. She said 120 people registered for the Saturday event. “One of our main goals was to hear their stories and to bring the community together.”
‘I just want to say I’m angry’
Though hosted by the local Democratic party, Saturday’s event was meant to be non-partisan, McGee said.
“We spend a lot of time reaching to each other and complaining about the other side,” she said. “Instead, we wanted to say, ‘How can we help each other? How do we get out of this mess?’”
Still, some attendees and speakers called out the Trump administration, its cuts to USAID and the global impact of those decisions. Some spoke about how women around the world, who depend on foreign aid for menstrual products and contraceptives, have been particularly affected
Among those laid off was Louie Rivers, a Chapel Hill resident and former adviser in the Office of Research and Development at the EPA. His position was one of dozens at the agency eliminated by DOGE, including roles in offices focused on diversity and environmental justice.
“I came on three years ago to build the social science program at the EPA so we can consider human beings when we regulate the environment,” Rivers said. “We did a lot of great things. …I just want to say I’m angry. It’s easy for us to be angry at Trump, but I’m angry at us because there are no normal times. We keep acting like it’s normal times. … We have to change how we do things.”
Wes McMahon, a former contractor with the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), said refugees arriving in places like Hillsborough, Durham and Chapel Hill had relied on his team members for support, until all of them were laid off. Cuts to USRAP mirrored reductions across refugee and resettlement programs nationwide.
Local groups such as the Refugee Support Center and the Refugee Community Partnership, both in Carrboro, have increased their aid efforts but need federal dollars to sustain their operations long-term, he said.
“This is something we care about. It’s a commitment that we have to ourselves, to our communities in the world. And that’s gone now,” McMahon told the crowd, adding that Burmese families in Orange County are waiting for family members who are not able to come into the country anymore.
For McMahon, the loss of his job was more than just financial. It marked the collapse of a career grounded in purpose. He’s now working part-time as an English as a second language instructor at Durham Technical Community College.
“They kind of killed the whole sector for a lot of this work,” he said. “It’s hard. The cost of living keeps on going up, and it’s been tough out here trying to find a job.”
The hunt for jobs and a safety net
Carol Burk, a documentarian at the event, recorded short videos of people willing to share their layoff story. Some people didn’t want to be identified and wanted their story to be shared anonymously, Burk said.
“It’s a crazy environment now,” she said. “Everybody’s afraid. What I keep hearing more and more from the people I interview is that they’ve lost jobs in areas in government, areas that pretty much only the government does, and so they don’t have that many translatable skills.”
The Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added about 73,000 jobs in July, less than the projected 115,000. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% nationally. Economists attribute the numbers to Trump’s war with the country’s trading partners.
McGee said Saturday’s event was one of many the Orange County Democrats plan to host to try to help people affected by the government layoffs, including a large food drive in November.
For now, Kinnard is continuing to apply for jobs and find ways to think positive.
“I have some resources, my family is helping,” she said. “I’m not going to be out on the street, but I really just want a job. I want to make my own money. I should be able to support myself.”
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 5:30 AM.