I Am A Federal Employee

This may be different than what we are normally discussing in these kinds of posts, but I have to say something. All things labeled within this post are my own thoughts, feelings, and opinions and will never reflect those of whomever may employ me or the U.S. Government.

When I was an intern in the U.S. Senate in the fall of 2023, a lot of my family and friends applauded me. My messages flooded with "congrats!" and "I'm so proud of you!" and I could not stop beaming from ear to ear. I was going to do something that I was passionate about. I was heading to our nations capitol to begin developing the relationships I would need to begin my career in government.

But that seems to be the first step where I lost some of my family. Recently, with all the layoffs many in the federal government have faced, I have seen some of my family and friends commenting under these posts calling them "leeches, trash," and "tax-money suckers." Additionally, I have seen other comments like, "government is not a career! They should have left decades ago! Good riddance, they were never good anyway!" Seeing these kinds of comments broke my heart in a way that... quite frankly, was stunning. My own family and friends... Those who congratulated me on my internship, who loved and supported me when I came back to D.C. to begin my government career... all calling me those names.

And right now you may be thinking, "Well, honey, they didn't mean that about you. They were talking about the other ones, that don't do their jobs." But, I am sure as you say it out loud, you'll hear just how two-faced and empty that sounds. Because they are talking about me. They are calling me those things. So let me tell you some things I learned as a federal employee.

It's NOT pretty. My day started anywhere between 6:30am and 7am. All to be in the office by 8:30am, for the office to open at 9am, and for my day to be nonstop. I was running around getting any and everything I could that my boss may need. I was answering roughly 200-300 emails a week that come from outside organizations, committees, and from internal staff. Additionally, I answered plenty of phone calls from constituents back home. I can tell you, the death threats and insults I received were enough to make some people shiver. But nobody would ever deter me from doing a job I love. So, when the office closed at 6pm, I would head home. If you think my day ended there, you're wrong. Because now that it's 7pm and I am home from work, I have enough time to have a light snack, run for about an hour, and then come back and make dinner and settle at my desk by 8:30pm. What am I doing at my desk? I am so glad you asked - I'm opening my work laptop to continue doing my job.

At this point you must be asking: "Do you get overtime for this? What did you even do that makes you have to work from 6:30am till anywhere between 11-Midnight?" And once again, I am so glad you asked. No, I did not get overtime for this. I took this job knowing that those 65-70hr work weeks with minimal pay and living paycheck to paycheck would be the happiest time of my life. And, as a Scheduler, I always had to make sure meetings for staff were handed out and booked, that the Senator had what she needed for meetings, that I could communicate with the Senate floor if they were scheduling votes and ensure that she would be able to meet other Senators to discuss their bills, amendments, proposals, and still find time to meet with her committees and constituents. My time as a federal employee were some of the best. And the amazing staff that I worked with, in my office and within the Senate as a whole, are some of the most dedicated Americans I have ever met. No matter who they work for, no matter where they come from, we all did the same thing when we got here: took an oath to the Constitution of the United States. I swore no allegiance to a Senator. I swore no allegiance to a party. I swore no allegiance to the President. I swore no allegiance to the people.

I did, however, swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. No matter the party, no matter the person, no matter the reason, I will always preserve, protect, and defend, the document that has created the greatest experiment in the world. Because when a democracy starts to fail some of us, it fails all of us.

And while I can say I am never opposed to saving money where we can, reducing what we need to, and ensure all proper channels and procedures are followed, this is not the way to do it. Working without Congress, firing employees in the dark of night – some of which have overseen some of the most sensitive parts of our nations secrets – and degrading them to less than human is unacceptable. They are the people who make sure you're mail is delivered. They make sure your Representative and Senator see your messages (I know because I helped make sure they were delivered), that your Social Security check is deposited into your account, that your applications of medicare and medicaid are approved, they staff your airport security and make sure this nation runs no matter who has power.

Like me, they all took the same oath. They all do their jobs, not because these positions pay that well (some may, most do not), but because they love their country and will do whatever they can to make sure it continues to operate. And if you ask me, wouldn't you want someone who's skilled and knowledgable and worked there for over two decades to continue working there? These are complex systems, in complex institutions, bound by complex laws and policies. I wouldn't want a Banker to do my surgery and I wouldn't want someone who specialized in History to do my Banking. We all went to school to prepare ourselves for these opportunities, to make sure we were qualified to do what we have been placed here to do.

To treat us as if we are less than human is gross.