Fired federal employees describe impact of DOGE layoffs to Michigan lawmakers
From those working with veterans to those working to find a middle ground during strikes, Michigan lawmakers are learning how DOGE job cuts are hurting Michiganders straight from the people who are now looking for work.
These workers not only painted a picture of how their lives have been turned upside down by these federal layoffs, but also how these firings have reportedly led to death and destruction in Michigan.
Nicole Rice says we won't be able to prepare for serious weather, like the ice storms in Northern Michigan, and monitor future concerns, like industry threatening algae blooms, with the void left behind by thousands of laid-off workers like her at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"Its loss would be an enormous blow to drinking water safety, climate resilience, maritime safety, invasive species control, and international treaty compliance with Canada," Rice told the Michigan Senate Labor Committee.
Leslie Desmond says Tateona Williams would have gotten the help she needed to save two of her children, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while parked in a casino parking garage, had these job cuts not created chaos in the Department of Housing and Urban Planning, where she's currently on indefinite leave.
"Their mother had called and asked for emergency relief and went through the right channels looking for help, but because of chaotic government cuts and inefficiencies, we failed them," Desmond said.
CBS News Detroit covered the layoffs of VA employees in Ann Arbor as they happened in February. While many of them have been reinstated, mostly by legal pressure, Andrew Lennox is still bracing for each day to be his last. He shared an interaction with a fellow employee the first time he learned about these layoffs.
"When I had to turn in my government laptop, our IT guy shook his head and said, 'Man, I'm sorry. I voted for this, but I didn't think it would affect people like you,'" Lennox said.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers heard these accounts. They'll be using these stories to find ways to fill the gaps left behind by these federal workers, whether that be creating state-funded positions or a new strategy that's yet to be seen.
