A close friend of mine, a dedicated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employee, just sent me a harrowing account of what’s happening inside the federal government. If you think the news reports sound bad, what’s happening behind the scenes is even worse.
Mass Firings with No Justification
On Valentine’s Day, HUD’s personnel office sent mass termination emails across the agency, summarily firing an undisclosed number of employees who had served up to three years with the agency. Why these employees? Because they don’t yet qualify for due process protections. Emails went out around 3 p.m., giving employees only a few hours’ notice.
This HUD employee described walking into the office knowing she was on the firing list. “In anticipation of the termination email,” they explained, “I scrambled to write factual summaries of my cases, in hopes that remaining colleagues would have the capacity to take on my workload.”
She was spared, but many others were not. The pain was immediate and widespread:
“A new parent, young employees of color with hundreds of thousands in debt working towards loan forgiveness,” they said. “It was heartbreaking.”
This wasn’t just a layoff. This was psychological warfare.
For those who survived, there is no sense of relief. The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a government agency NOT created by Congress, in a country where only Congress can create a federal office — has ordered HUD to terminate 50% of its workforce by March, or over 4,000 employees across the country.
But these cuts won’t be evenly distributed. They’re targeted for maximum damage.
- 85% of Community Planning and Development programs will be eliminated, ending all discretionary grants that support affordable housing, homelessness prevention, disaster recovery, and local development.
- 75% of Fair Housing staff will be fired, effectively gutting enforcement of anti-discrimination laws and the offices that ensure HUD itself complies with civil rights obligations.
The HUD civil rights attorney spelled it out:
“My office is statutorily obligated to enforce the Fair Housing Act and federal civil rights laws. I work with highly talented colleagues who are dedicated to ensuring that every person in the United States has fair and equal access to housing. There’s no way we’ll be able to meet that charge after these cuts.”
Surveillance, Gag Orders, and Psychological Warfare
Employees aren’t just being fired. They are being watched, denigrated, and threatened.
- DOGE is monitoring employee emails, keystrokes, and files to prevent organizing or whistleblowing.
- Gag orders have been placed on select offices, preventing civil servants from doing their jobs and reporting violations.
- HUD staff have been ordered to report colleagues suspected of maintaining any DEI-related efforts, or face professional consequences themselves.
The civil rights employee explained:
“These threats, combined with the stymieing of my office to do our work, lead to program staff taking an extremely broad reading of the order. They’re taking down guidance on civil rights obligations, building accessibility, and planning for inclusive communities.”
Even career leadership officials risked their jobs to warn employees hours ahead of the illegal firings, though they had no power to stop them.
This is Not Normal. This is Not Legal. This is a Political Purge.
Let’s be very clear: These cuts are not about saving money. If they were, we’d be talking about closing billionaire tax loopholes, slashing corporate subsidies, or reigning in defense spending.
Instead, the administration is deliberately targeting programs that protect marginalized communities, enforce civil rights, and prevent homelessness. This isn’t about efficiency — it’s about breaking public trust in government and eroding democracy itself.
A Moment of Reckoning
The people inside HUD and other federal agencies know exactly what’s happening. They are trying to fight back. They are:
- Talking to journalists
- Leaking internal memos
- Risking everything to sound the alarm
But most of the country isn’t paying attention.
This is one of those moments we will look back on and realize: this was a turning point. We could have fought for democracy, or we could have ignored the warning signs and watched it disappear.
So the question is: Are we going to fight back?
What You Can Do Right Now
✅ Amplify this message: Share stories, talk about it, and make sure people know what’s happening.
✅ Support investigative journalists: They need to hear from whistleblowers inside HUD and other agencies.
✅ Join protests and local actions: Federal employees are already fighting. They need public support.
✅ Pressure Congress: Call representatives, demand investigations, and push back against authoritarian overreach.
Trump’s administration is betting that we’re too distracted, too tired, or too comfortable to fight back. Prove them wrong.
The people losing their jobs today aren’t just employees — they are the last line of defense for a functioning government. And right now, they need us to stand with them.
