WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — It’s been one week since hundreds of employees at public health agencies under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were terminated.
Many of them still trying to grapple with the news and figure out their next steps.
“Ultimately, I’m sad to walk away — or be cast away — from a 15 year career,” said Alana Hubbard, who is a recently terminated federal worker.
Hubbard has worked in the federal government for more than a decade and for the HHS for nearly five years. Now, she’s now dealing with the reality of being unemployed.
What Hubbard thought would be a normal workday last Tuesday took a turn when she arrived and saw a long line wrapped around the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building.
“So they had a lot of all of us sitting outside and the line wasn’t moving to get in the building,” Hubbard said. “So we knew something was up. We just weren’t sure what.”
Moments later, her badge was taken by security, then returned back to her and she was turned away. She learned in that moment she no longer had a job.
“Embarrassment, relief, sadness, lots of different emotions,” Hubbard said. “People were giving me their condolences and saying how sorry they were about losing my job. And there was a lot of emotion around me because people were just scared as to what their fate was going to be.”
In a viral TikTok video, Hubbard was mixed with emotions, she began crying on the metro as she processed the news on her way back home.
“Relief because we had been wondering what was going on and how — what was going to happen with our jobs for months. And then also — I also felt sadness because now I was unemployed,” she said.
These major cuts comes as the Trump administration is working to cut down on the size and costs of the federal government. Nearly 7,400 jobs were cut from the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“These people are real people and where we have a heart for service,” Hubbard said. “I feel there should be some, some decency and some humanity about how you handle other people’s livelihoods. The work that we do is specialized and unique in the government, and it should not be just thrown away on a sidewalk.”
Since posting her video, she’s gained a lot of love and support.
“Posting that particular video largely has everything to do with just wanting to show a true moment, a true raw moment, a real moment where I’m not at my best and things are not certain and I think it’s something that a lot of people can relate to,” she said.
Like thousands of other now-former federal workers, Hubbard is beginning the journey of navigating what’s next for her career.
“Spend more time with my kids, [and] take time and figure out what my next steps are going to be in the next couple of months and and see what happens.”
