DOGE cuts impact local workers

by Nathan Boddy

Several dozen people squeezed themselves into a local Hamilton establishment last Wednesday afternoon, the unofficial gathering having formed in response to the wide-spread layoffs by the Trump Administration. And while the gathering took place during what should have been ‘happy-hour’, the mood was far from happy, with many people wearing expressions of bewilderment, fear and anger.

On Thursday, February 13, the Federal Government moved forward with firing approximately 3,400 of largely probationary employees within the Forest Service, approximately 10% of the USFS work force. The cuts come as billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has moved through various federal agencies with the stated purpose of slashing federal spending and eliminating waste. Federal employees are considered ‘probationary’ during their first year within the position, however, even multi-year federal workers are again considered ‘probationary’ when they move or advance into a new position. Still, the memorandum used to terminate the employment of hundreds of Montana-based USFS workers said nothing about lowering federal spending. Instead, the brief memorandum that many workers received reads,

“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 of FRSTRY TECHNCN with the Agency and the federal civil service effective immediately.”

The Bitterroot Star reached out to many people affected by the changes, and found that many were hesitant to share their stories, or wished to do so only on condition of anonymity. Hannah Strobel, however, who until last week was an employee of the Forest Service in the Bitterroot Valley, did choose to share her thoughts.

“This past Friday I got a call from my supervisor saying that my name was on a probationary list and that they were required to terminate me,” said Strobel, who had been seasonally employed with USFS since 2021, but within the last year was happy to have accepted a permanent-seasonal position. The advancement relieved her of having to re-apply for the work every year, but did set her upon a probationary clock. Her work as a botanist was heavily involved with the Bitterroot Front Project which aims to reduce wildfire risk along the Wildland Urban Interface in the Bitterroot Valley.

In addition to her other work, Strobel had earned her Red Card, was a qualified fire-line EMT and routinely worked on wildfires as a part of the so called, ‘Militia.’ She says that she would consider applying to work fires this summer, but admits that being able to do so would be unlikely, since any future employer would have to be willing to accommodate her absence for two week stretches.

Strobel says that working for the Forest Service had been a dream of hers since she was a child and she loved using her skills to make a difference on public land. And while she said she would take her job back in “a heartbeat” if offered, she also expressed a painful reluctance that the firing has left her with.

“Would I even want to accept that because it could so easily just be taken away from me again?” Strobel pondered. “It’s like, why am I investing my career into a system that is just willing to throw me away and say that my performance is bad and that my interests don’t serve the public?”

Strobel’s emphasis on the manner in which she was cut loose was echoed by others. One former Forest Service employee, who asked to remain anonymous, echoed Strobel’s frustration by saying that to ostensibly remove someone from service based on “poor performance” was, “a really low blow because it’s illegitimate and it’s incorrect.”

The same individual added, “So I guess for me, this is difficult because I never received any poor performance in any job I’ve ever had, especially relating to [her field of work]. In fact, when I worked for the NRCS, I received an award for my good work.”

She went on to predict what the cuts will mean in western Montana. “Staff shortages are going to mean that trails and bathrooms and campgrounds won’t be maintained, and it means that rescue personnel, people that dig fire lines, park rangers— they’re all going to be cut short. They’re going to be at a bare minimum.”

“I mean, I got a job in the Forest Service and with the NRCS because I care about public lands,” she said. “I care about what’s going to happen. And making these lands available for the public to explore, recreate, just enjoy. And being terminated from my job, for illegitimate reasons, is— yeah, it hurts.”

When asked by the Bitterroot Star why she thought so many of the fired workers seemed reticent to speak with the press, she thoughtfully replied, “I guess the reason I waited a little bit longer was that I just wanted to organize my thoughts and get the facts. I didn’t want to speak out of anger or anything. I wanted to make sure that I was only providing what was true.”

Kara Bond was only three weeks shy of completing her probationary period when she got the news she’d been fired. With her probation period behind her, she would have moved up in pay scale to a GS11, received her long awaited relocation reimbursement, begun searching for a home in Hamilton, and finally realized a lifelong dream of being a permanent, full-time archeologist for the United States Forest Service. But Bond was dealing with a pressing concern— she’d been diagnosed with cancer in November and has been out of state receiving treatment when she got notice that her position had been terminated.

“I lose my medical insurance 31 days from the date that I was fired,” said Bond, adding that the letter was dated for February 13th and effective immediately. “So my insurance is going to end within a month here.”

Bond says that she had to fight with Blue Cross/Blue Shield in order for them to certify that the cancer treatment was “medically necessary,” and had only secured final preauthorization for the treatment an hour before she was fired. Now, with two additional treatments for both gene therapy and chemotherapy still pending, Bond is facing approximately $180,000 in medical expenses.

“It feels like the rug has been pulled out from under me,” she said. “It feels like I’m being used as a pawn for political gain. It just feels terrible. It’s financially devastating and emotionally hard.”

A friend, concerned for Bond’s well-being, has set up a GoFundMe account, the link for which is: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-kara-bonds-cancer-recovery.

Todd McKay, Public Affairs Officer at the Bitterroot National Forest, referred any questions about the layoffs to Region One Public Affairs Director Kim Pierson who, in turn, referred them to the National Press Desk. No one, however, responded in time for publication.

Many individuals affected by the layoffs did tell the Bitterroot Star they thought the public should know how the firings had taken place, and what the loss of services will mean for the valley. However, at the informal gathering in Hamilton, one public employee shook her head in doubt that sharing information could make a difference.

“I just don’t think they’re going to care,” she said. “I just…” she didn’t finish the sentence, but instead looked away with an expression that might have turned to tears. “I don’t know.”