A disabled military Veteran from northern Virginia feels blindsided after the Elon Musk-led DOGE initiative fired him, deeming him unsuitable to keep serving Donald Trump‘s government. The man, who voted for Trump during the presidential elections worked as an information technology technician with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He received an unexpected blow on Monday when the agency laid him off via an email from Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton amid the Trump administration’s efforts to slim down the government workforce.
The disabled veteran, who preferred withholding his name for fear of possible retaliation from the company that fired him, revealed the news of his termination came as a shock because until then, he maintained high-level performance at FEMA. According to the enraged Trump voter, the agency recently upgraded his performance to “career-conditional,” a step between one year and three years. Additionally, he clarified that he was not a “probationary” employee, contrary to the termination letter. Given his impressive performance at the agency, the disabled veteran believed he could have made “career” status within three years if they hadn’t fired him. He told WTOP,
“I was all in the range of fours, which means exceeding expectations.”
DOGE Thinks Disabled Veteran’s Employment Won’t Serve Public Interest
In the termination email from FEMA, issued in line with the Elon Musk-led DOGE’s efforts to cut costs under Donald Trump’s administration, the agency cited the Virginia man’s performance, suggesting his employment won’t serve the public interest. The email read,
“The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest. For this reason, the Agency informs you that the Agency is removing you from your position,” the email read. “Until the probationary period has been completed,” a probationer has “the burden to demonstrate why it is in the public interest for the government to finalize an appointment to the civil service for this particular individual.”
Veteran Seeks Justice After Lay-Off
The veteran revealed that before the termination, a supervisor described him as a “leader” who “demonstrated professionalism” in his core skills. Hence, having his performance questioned in the email left the fired disabled veteran feeling blindsided. The termination hurt even deeper because just last November, he cast his vote for Donald Trump, having high hopes for a better America under his administration. He lamented,
“I voted for Donald Trump. But this is not what I was expecting. We didn’t think they were going to take a chainsaw to a silk rug.”
The Virginia man’s wife also expressed grievances over her husband’s termination. According to her, while she understood the need to make a lot of cuts, she never expected her family to take a hit. She believed her husband’s 13 years of military service in the Navy and Air Force Reserves, his honorable discharge as an E-4, and his disability status would have offered him some protection against DOGE.
The disabled veteran and his wife have contacted their congressional lawmakers and union, the American Federation of Government Employees. However, they have received no guidance so far and were considering appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board to investigate the ‘unwarranted’ layoff.
