Trump has fired tens of thousands of federal workers. Here’s how that hurts you.
The true cost of MAGA’s war on the “administrative state.”
The Trump administration spent its first months executing a chaotic purge of thousands of federal workers across the government. Despite Trump’s claims that he was firing “crooked people” who were “destroying this country,” the truth is his cuts targeted the very people who keep America running—experts providing care to veterans, researching cures for cancer, and keeping Americans safe from disease outbreaks.
The other week, we wrote about how DOGE’s firings of nuclear specialists at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) led to widespread outrage and a mass rehiring of the federal workers they fired. Today, we want to look at other agencies that have seen deep cuts, and how they will affect people like you.
The Department of Veterans Affairs
Despite the VA experiencing its highest-ever service levels last year, Trump and DOGE have already fired at least 2,400 employees, driven an untold number out with the “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation program, and have plans to fire over 30,000 more. Among the fired workers were Veterans Crisis Line Responders, nurses, doctors, and psychiatrists—many of whom were veterans themselves.
The impact on veteran care has been immediate and devastating. A ProPublica investigation revealed that contracts for cancer registries were canceled, gene sequencing devices for cancer treatment were shut down, and clinical trials were halted. At VA facilities in Pennsylvania, staff warned that over 1,000 veterans would lose access to treatment for metastatic cancers, kidney disease, and traumatic brain injuries.
Trump’s cuts mean that veterans will experience longer wait times for care, lose hope for breakthrough discoveries for cancer, and may even experience wait times on suicide hotlines, resulting in more of our nation’s heroes dying preventable deaths. Firing employees at the Veterans Crisis Line reveals a wanton disregard for life when a tragic 17 veterans die by suicide every day.
We’ve already spoken to two veterans who are furious at these dangerous cuts. Watch what Ronn and Scott have to say to the Trump administration.
The Department of Health and Human Services.
Since Trump chose Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, our nation's ability to protect Americans’ health has been devastated by layoffs, funding cuts, and halted research. The full scope of the firings includes: 4,200 at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); 2,550 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); 1,600 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Firings at the FDA will leave the organization deeply understaffed, which will result in drawn-out decision-making processes and longer approval times for new lifesaving drugs and medical devices. If you get sick, you may wait longer for new treatments, if they ever arrive at all.
At the CDC and NIH, these mass layoffs are accompanied by some of the largest and most devastating funding cuts in our government. The NIH has paused research on Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, cancer, and many other diseases affecting millions of Americans. At the CDC, Congressionally mandated funds for state health departments are being slow-walked with monthslong delays, putting public health programs at risk of shutdown. From HIV prevention to grants supporting cardiovascular health, these cuts are eroding our health system across the board.
We’ve spoken to many of those who are directly affected: Kirsten, a mom whose daughter has Down syndrome and faces an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, was crushed when she heard that research has been paused. She told us these delays in research may set her family back years they cannot afford. Michael, an internal medicine doctor who specializes in infectious diseases, says the CDC has been unreliable with its virus tracking data, something he relies on to diagnose and treat patients, making Americans less safe.
People like Donna, like Tauna’s daughter, and like millions of others are devastated as cancer research grinds to a halt, losing hope that a breakthrough will arrive before it’s too late.
Housing and Urban Development
Across the country, families are being crushed by soaring housing costs. Yet at the very moment of crisis, the Trump administration is working to gut the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
His cuts are staggering: at least 4,000 employees are slated to be fired, nearly half of the entire HUD workforce.
Layoffs at this scale have and will cripple HUD’s ability to perform its everyday functions, put millions of Americans who rely on federal housing assistance at risk, stall funding for affordable housing development, and slow the construction of critically needed affordable housing.
This move will put seniors, veterans, and almost all low- and middle-income Americans at risk of losing their homes. It will also shrink the affordable housing market by stunting development, thereby driving up the costs of these homes through increased demand. This will affect millions of Americans.
President Trump entered office with a Day One executive order promising to “lower housing costs for American families.” Firing the people charged with delivering on that promise does the opposite. If Trump were serious about this, he would not have let DOGE fire the thousands of HUD employees whose careers were dedicated to building affordable housing.
What look like numbers on a page to Donald Trump are real people losing health care, homes, and hope. He says it’s about saving money, but he’s ballooning the national debt while gutting the services Americans rely on most. The costs of these cuts will be measured in lives lost, treatments delayed, and families struggling to get by.
If you’ve been affected by these cuts, we want to hear your story. Share it with Home of the Brave. We believe the best way to push back against Trump’s disastrous second term is by highlighting the consequences it’s having on ordinary people across the country. Because Trump will only get away with all of this if we let him.
Home of the Brave is a new project dedicated to telling the human stories of people harmed by Donald Trump’s disastrous second-term agenda.
Great article, however, you failed to mention HHS’s agency, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The cuts enacted by this administration resulted in a decrease of 50% of their staff and approximately 15% in federal funding allocated to substance abuse programs, affecting treatment accessibility nationwide.
Recent data indicate a promising decline in opioid overdose deaths. Over the past two years, opioid-related fatalities have decreased by about 12%, from approximately 70,000 deaths in 2023 to around 61,600 in 2025. This decline shows initial positive impacts, but there is need for sustained investment and comprehensive strategies to continue progress.
Going forward, these reductions could pose risks to our communities by limiting access to vital mental health and substance abuse services. Reduced funding may hinder prevention efforts, treatment programs, and support systems, potentially leading to an increased risk of relapse, overdose, and broader public health challenges.
The US President is clearly mentally ill. He wants to be the Emperor of the world. He needs to be removed from office.