Fear and denial in DC: Federal workers are reeling as Trump gets go-ahead to continue firings

• A Supreme Court ruling allows the Trump administration to proceed with federal staff cuts.
• BI spoke with 16 government workers who said they fear job losses and impacts on essential services.
• It's not clear how or when government agencies will proceed with layoffs.

For some federal workers, Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling on the fate of their jobs landed with a thud — and a shock.

"Omfg," one Department of Justice employee responded when a reporter broke the news.

For months, thousands of federal government employees have watched the Department of Government Efficiency tennis match: a legal back-and-forth between the White House and various unions and advocacy groups over DOGE's plan to remake the federal workforce, with tens of thousands of jobs at stake.

On Tuesday afternoon, workers got an answer many had been dreading. The Supreme Courtruled that the Trump administration can proceed with widespread staff cuts at federal agencies.

Whether agencies will follow through with their reduction-in-force plans — and on what timeline — is still uncertain. Elon Musk has said he has stepped back from DOGE, and it's unclear how much sway the cost-cutting outfit still has in directing widespread layoffs.

As the news broke, Business Insider spoke with 16 current federal employees across agencies to gauge their responses. Some were frustrated by the highest courts' decision, while others said they worry essential government services could be at risk. Most used words like "fear," "uncertainty," "disheartening," and "bleak" to describe the current energy within their agencies.

Most employees asked to remain anonymous for fear of professional retaliation.

"Many of us were feeling like we could breathe again," one Internal Revenue Service worker said. "That feeling turned on a dime today."

'We just pretend it's not happening'

Several federal workers told BI that they've been anxiously checking their inboxes and coworker group chats since cuts began last winter.

Some said they were stunned by the SCOTUS ruling and worried about their future livelihoods. A few said they have had to take on a heavier workload amid staffing changes, and have seen morale tank among their coworkers. Others described the stress of financial uncertainty.

"It appears to me as though the Supreme Court has acquiesced to the executive branch," said Edwin Osario, a worker at the Social Security Administration. The result, he said, "will be that hard-working and dedicated civil servants will lose their jobs, and, more importantly, lose their careers that were predicated on serving the American public."

"I can't see any of this ending well, and I'm scared for my country, my children's future, and my job security," a Department of Defense Employee said.

Others, however, weren't surprised. As one Centers for Disease Control employee put it, the feeling they "could be pushed out at any moment" is something they've carried to work every day for months.

"We've been planning to hear we're RIF'ed any week since it went to the Supreme Court," said an employee at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They anticipate they'll lose their job and will probably have to "publish data and reports as quickly as possible to tie up loose ends."

Another Internal Revenue Service employee said they avoid thinking about staff cuts at all.

"It's the only way I'm keeping sane," they said. "Nobody at work talks about it. There's nothing we can do, so we just pretend it's not happening."

When one Department of Agriculture employee saw the SCOTUS news alert on their phone Tuesday afternoon, they said they just "packed up and left" because they knew they wouldn't be able to focus.

Government employees are worried about the future of public services

The Supreme Court ruling stemmed from challenges to a February executive order for a "critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy." The order tasked DOGE with carrying out "large-scale reductions in force."

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields called the ruling "another definitive victory for the President and his administration," and said it pushed back against what he described as partisan attempts to obstruct government reform.

Local governments, advocacy groups, and unions like the American Federation of Government Employees sued over the order in April, and a federal judge in California blocked the order in May. The Supreme Court granted a stay on that injunction, which means thousands of current and reinstated workers could now lose their jobs.

Questions still remain. It's not yet known how the decision could play out at individual agencies or exactly how many jobs are at risk.

In the unsigned opinion, the court said that it is taking "no view" on the substance of the Trump administration's layoff plans, but it's possible it could rule on their legality in the future.

Most federal workers told BI they believe that potential staff cuts could have serious consequences for the American public, and a few said they feel consistently left in the dark about how DOGE actions will impact their jobs.

And some didn't find out about the decision from the agencies at all.

"I hadn't seen. Well crap. Now I guess we all go back to wondering if today's the day I'll be fired," said the IRS employee who said they avoided thinking about the cuts.