'Traumatized my kids': Mom tells of anger as she's caught up in mass federal layoffs
A person displays a sign as labor union activists rally in support of federal workers during a protest, with the U.S. Capitol in the background on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 11, 2025. REUTERS/Craig Hudson

A federal worker fired in President Donald Trump's mass layoffs said Sunday that the experience had traumatized her kids.

Data scientist Elena Moseyko joined the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs just last year, attracted by what she thought was a stable job, according to a report.

Now she’s left with major uncertainty after being caught up in the thousands of layoffs implemented in several federal departments as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency looks to slash spending.

"I feel so angry now at the administration because I traumatized my kids," she told USA Today. "I wish I would've never joined the federal government.”

Moseyko told USA Today she got her termination notice on Valentine's Day, and broke down sobbing in front of her two young children.

She was just one of many ex-federal workers who shared their experience with the newspaper.

"It read like a copy-and-paste letter that did not provide any specifics,” said Chelsea Milburn, who worked at the Department of Education, of her termination notice.

“It was just very cold and cruel."

She added, "It took away my hope that I would continue to be respected and valued for my service. And especially in the way the termination happened."