Fired federal workers in Washington struggling to get unemployment, Sen. Murray says

Federal workers in Washington, fired from their jobs as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing cuts, are being kept from getting unemployment checks, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said Wednesday during a virtual press conference.

“We are hearing from literally hundreds of people … that they got this letter that said they were being fired for poor performance,” Murray said. “That has impacts beyond just the emotional ones you’re hearing and the fact that they’ve lost a job — but in many of those who are trying to collect unemployment, it is hampering them from collecting unemployment.”

Three recently laid-off federal workers local to Washington joined Murray in the Zoom call with reporters.

Katie Emerson, who worked for the Bonneville Power Administration in Southwest Washington, said she was abruptly fired Feb. 13 over email.

“We’d hear rumblings about probationary employees and things could happen, but I think that we also knew that there had to be a reason, there had to be a poor performance basis to move forward,” she said. “That, in my 11 years at BPA, had never been a concern, and I know that is true for the majority of my fellow terminated coworkers.”

BPA manages two hydroelectric dams in Washington — one along the Columbia River and another in Grand Coulee. Emerson said the layoffs have combined with a wave of resignations, leaving mounting workloads on the staff left behind. She warned that Washingtonians’ electricity may be impacted.

Related from MyNorthwest: Haphazardness of federal layoffs causes concern with Sen. Murray, Public Power Council

Former Eastern Washington park ranger speaks on recent layoffs

Sam Peterson, a former park ranger at Lake Roosevelt National Recreational Area in Eastern Washington, said the decimated staffing will leave park visitors without basic services like road maintenance, wilderness patrols and help at campgrounds.

“There’s going to be fewer park rangers at entrance stations and visitor centers to warn you that ‘Hey, this trail that you were planning on going on is dangerous,'” he said. “There’s going to be fewer park rangers to rove around a campground and tell you, ‘By the way, we’ve seen a black bear or a Grizzly bear’ or whatever.”

Peterson warned that the national hiring freeze on staff comes at a time when parks normally bolster their ranks.

“If this proceeds into the summer, into our busy seasons at national parks, every person is going to have to walk around with a washcloth and a roll of toilet paper to restock the bathrooms,” he said.

Emily Conner managed grants at the region’s Federal Transit Administration office.

“These are real-life impacts on everyday people, regardless of political beliefs, affiliations, or how people voted,” Conner wrote in a press release from Murray’s office. “And the ultimate price for these sudden and chaotic staffing cuts is that the American people will pay for it literally with their time and their money – they just don’t realize it yet.”

Can laid-off federal workers receive unemployment?

Federal workers’ qualification for unemployment benefits relies on applicable unemployment laws in the states where they live “in general,” according to the Department of Labor. But the department’s Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees carves out an exception, stating that its benefits are for workers who were laid off or fired “through no fault of their own.” The same language applies to criteria in Washington, where the Employment Security Department website also reads that any federal employee who worked or lived in Washington over the past year and a half “may be eligible.”

It remains unclear how many, if any, federal workers are having applications for unemployment outright denied through Washington state.

“This was not about poor performance,” Murray insisted. “This was just a line item (that) decided to use the word probationary, which impacted different agencies in dramatically different ways, but clearly was a huge blow to all of these people who have worked so hard for all of us.”

President Donald Trump and the White House have stated they are cutting employees in an effort to crack down on “waste” and “fraud” and reshape the federal government to Trump’s liking. It’s operating with guidance from the unofficial DOGE team — which Trump recently stated is led by billionaire Elon Musk, contradicting White House statements in court, according to multiple reports.

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