In a sweeping wave of layoffs, thousands of federal workers, including employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Department of Education and Department of Veterans Affairs, have been abruptly terminated.
Hanna Hickman, a former FPB senior litigation counsel, described the moment to ABC News as “shocking.”
“We’re under attack by billionaires but I’m not a billionaire, so, you know, for me, the next steps are scary,” she said. “I’m trying to stay focused working productively, but it’s a scary moment.”
Many of the layoffs were initiated through Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Hickman said she believes Musk is trying to “destroy” the CFPB.
Hickman said civil servants “are people who go to work every day to fight for regular people.”
“Civil servants do this work to fight for regular Americans,” Hickman said. “That’s what the job is. That’s why it’s intended to be insulated from partisan swings. That’s why it requires expert people skills and experience, and that’s why there are these protections around the jobs.”
The layoffs primarily targeted probationary employees—those with less than two years on the job—who lack the same protections as veteran civil servants.
ABC News’ Jay O’Brien suggested up to 15,000 employees that work for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may be next.
Critics argued that the layoffs undermine government agencies designed to protect ordinary Americans, while supporters claim they eliminate inefficiencies.
Hickman and her colleagues are now exploring legal action, determined to fight back.
“Civil servants do this work to fight for regular Americans,” she said.
Recently, five former Treasury secretaries warned DOGE activities are “gravely concerning” in an op-ed guest essay for the New York Times.
In November of last year, Musk said he’s “the largest individual taxpayer in history” after paying $10 billion.
Originally published on Latin Times
