Furloughed federal workers who attended Friday’s support night expressed multiple emotions. Some were scared they would run out of money. Others felt beat up by a country they believed they were helping that had turned against them. And still others wondered if they would have to move to get a new job.
“It’s been pretty awful,” said a former federal employee with USAID and a contractor with NASA. She was laid off in June and has been unsuccessful in finding new work. A recruiter told her she had a great resume but “hundreds and hundreds” of people are applying for the same job.
The woman, like everyone else MCM spoke with at the event at Blair High School in Silver Spring, didn’t want her name used.
“It’s a double whammy. There are fewer jobs and more lookers,” she said.
Another woman was appreciative that the event offered good resources and a free pizza and salad dinner, but said, “The best help would be I get a job.”
The mother of three is a contractor and therefore will not receive back pay when the furlough ends. “It’s scary. We don’t know if we can actually get a job,” she said.
One NOAA employee told a fellow furloughed worker that this shutdown included the “a double threat” of possibly not receiving back pay and being fired during the government shutdown.
He didn’t speak to MCM, noting he was not allowed to talk with the press without prior authorization, and because, “In this environment, retribution is a real thing.” Then he shook his head as he told others, “This is the first time, we are the enemies.”
A furloughed worker who reviewed federal grants worried, “When there are no grants, it’s hard to review.”
The event was coordinated by Tiffany Kelly and Valarie Davis. It is the second event the women have held. A third one focusing on health care resources is planned at Richard Montgomery High School on Oct. 24.
Kelly said she saw a need for people to learn about available resources, but even more important, to experience community. Kelly is a federal employee and a candidate for mayor in Gaithersburg.
“People have to look out for each other,” she said.
Davis agreed, stating, “It’s a joy to connect with people even in crises.” She added, “We are all human. We all got to survive together.”
She told the gathered participants to remember, “It’s not about you. Don’t even think about that. Square your shoulders and plant your feet.”
