“It’s being forced”: Dismissed federal workers prepare to take office. Democratic groups want to help.
Why some federal workers made deals offered by Trump
“I was hoping to retire with federal workers,” Until recently, 27-year-old Jourdain Solis was employed by the Internal Revenue Service. When he heard that the program he was working for would be eliminated, he decided to bow.
Tony Lewis was happy to participate in the Veterans issue in February 2024. The disabled veteran himself, Lewis left the private sector and became a veteran service officer, helping those who served their country get the benefits they deserved.
Despite his sparkling performance review and the “Quarter Employee” award, the Orange County, California resident was fired a few days before he was expected to become a full-time employee.
He drifted a few weeks later and came to recognize him twice, he told USA Today: he needed work. And new people need to run for political positions.
“The only way to speak up at this point about everything that’s going on here is to not get too political here, go into power. Go where there’s Republicans,” Lewis said.
A progressive, democratic group that helps people run for offices told USA Today that former federal employees like Lewis are reaching out in large numbers to find out what it takes to run from the school board to Congress for everything.
Lewis said he plans to start by running for the mayor and city council, hoping to connect with people in California’s moderately conservative communities who are not satisfied with the changes that President Donald Trump has made. He called himself a centricist, leaning towards the left.
“Everyone has seen us being under attack right now,” Lewis said. “That’s my base. Veterans, Latinos, people who generally feel they’re under attack.”
Sign-ups spike
In the three days since the federal shooting began in February, 1,000 people signed up and ran for offices for something, said Amanda Littman, the group’s co-founder. The organization supports progressive candidates who want to run for their local offices.
It was “a huge spike for us,” Littman said, adding that layoffs could serve as a key point for Trump’s presidency, urging people to engage in politics. The group has received tens of thousands of calls and emails relating to taking office since the election, she said.
“I think a lot of people come from (people) who want to fight back on behalf of federal employees,” Littman said.
On March 25, more than 600 people attended a run to call something information for former federal workers interested in running for offices.
Participants said they were tired of waiting for someone else to put it together. Some said they felt irritated, disgusted and exhausted, while others felt hopeful, optimistic and empowered.
As group graduates were talking about how they decided to run and organize the campaign, participants joined the chat section of the video call to coordinate opportunities for local meetups and sharing resources.
Step 1: Understand their stories.
Litman said many are veterans and “we have a deep understanding of how the system works and the willingness to fight for it, so federal workers will make convincing candidates. in It’s a different method than the inside. ”
They also said, “Trump and Elon Musk fired me to serve people. That’s a really compelling campaign story.”
Logical Steps for Civil Servants
Running for public office is a logical next step for civil servants.
Emerge has focused on helping women support women after they take office and win, and held three training sessions in April. former Federal workers. Dozens of women from across the country will be present, and the group will host another training series for federal workers fired in May and June, Gholar said.
She said the training includes ways to find the right position to run.
“They have all this experience with the federal government, they know how it works and can bring it to the local level, especially so they can serve their community,” she said. “There are 520,000 elected offices in the country, mostly at the state and local levels. There’s a need for people to step up during this time.”
Mark Leonard, 35, of Fountain Valley, California, said he has volunteered for several democratic campaigns and has already been in contact with six former civil servants across the country looking for ways to serve again. He advises them on deadlines, available resources, how to shape their message to specific districts, and how to vote.
Leonard said he wanted to work hard at running the campaign. Campaigns can differ significantly from their role as difficult and nonpartisan government officials.
“I don’t want to see people fall out and give up. I want to see people run the race,” he said.
“It’s selected.”
Several federal employees at USA Today said they were afraid to talk about future plans until they are completely separated from the government. Others were more open.
Caitie Goddard, 41, is back to Michigan after losing his USAID job in Washington less than a year later. She has always worked in public education and public services, so she was considering running for office one day.
“I’ve always been thinking about the meaning of running…it’s never knowing that it’s time for the right time. Basically, my experience of eliminating my position and everything else is forced to make a choice,” Goddard said.
She wants to explore running in her state office, but she still doesn’t know where she fits best. Criticism of federal workers coming from the White House and some Americans have thought about whether having federal experience is strength or weakness.
She said the candidate must show that the fired federal workers are “not just random people, I am a girl from Royal Oak, Michigan.”
Shernis Mandel, 47, of Edgewood, Maryland, joined the Human Resources Administration in August 2024, supporting postal workers with health insurance issues. She was excited to spend decades helping her fellow Americans.
Mundell is considering a bid for Congress as she feels disappointed by her own lawmaker, Rep. Andy Harris, who said she is not providing resources to federal workers fired in his district. When she called his office to express concern about the cut, the only response she got was an automated message in support of what the Trump administration was doing.
“I’ve always wanted to do it, but for no reason,” Mundell told USA Today. “If I was fired, I said, well, this might be God’s way of telling me I should run for something.”
