Laid Off: In DOGE's Valentine's Day Massacre
"People still there are actively being told to cancel all subscriptions that are not FOX."
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In today’s issue, I talk to Joya Patel, a former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services worker. Joya was laid off in February, just two days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Trump’s health secretary.
On Saturday, February 15th at 7:30 PM, Joya Patel received an email from DOGE’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) letting her know that she was being terminated.
Joya, the Director of Communications and External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), had worked at the agency for a total of five years. She’s received three promotions and ten awards. The reasoning she was given for being terminated was low performance.
Joya was one of thousands of probationary employees in the Department of Health and Human Services informed that they would lose their jobs. She received her email two days after RFK Jr. was voted in as health secretary.
“We did discuss how he is a conspiracy theorist and really does not believe in health for all,” Joya said, referring to conversations about RFK Jr. among her colleagues. “This has been confirmed by his lack of action to curb the measles epidemic, slashing of the HHS workforce, and silencing and removing voices who oppose his anti-vax opinions. Many of the issues I worked on will no longer be addressed or a priority for HHS moving forward as seen by the plans laid out by this administration.”
Tell me what happened when you saw an email from DOGE’s OPM on a Saturday night.
Based on Reddit and what I was told from friends, once you opened the email, your system would no longer work. I did what I needed to do before formally opening the email. I was also hearing that you were locked out of all of your personnel files and accounts which would prevent you from having the necessary documentation needed. This would also allow DOGE and the powers that illegally took over to manipulate your personnel information. The document was riddled with typos, had the wrong title, and did not properly outline separation details for return of government issued items, payment of leave, and offboarding.
You mentioned being a part of the "Valentine's Day Massacre."
Thousands of people were the victims of an unsanctioned political hit job and terminated from their positions on Valentine's Day 2025. This is being called the Valentine’s Day Massacre of the Federal Workforce.
The “Savings” page on doge.gov was reserved for displaying various charts that break down the estimated costs that DOGE has allegedly saved the government in efficiencies gained. On Valentine's Day, it featured the message “Receipts coming soon, no later than Valentine’s day” on the top of the screen with the emoji of an arrow shooting through a heart. Tens of thousands of probationary employees at over a dozen government agencies were terminated from their positions.
Who was the first person you told after getting laid off?
My best friend and my friend group. I called and sent them messages letting them know the ongoing messiness the government was going through under the false guise of efficiency. I wanted the world to know what is being called “efficiency” is a hostile takeover by tech bros and a narcissistic reality TV D-list celebrity.
Some friends were in a similar situation while others remained and experienced the bullying that is going on. Federal employees are non-partisan civil servants that keep programs going to ensure services and programs nationwide remain, regardless of the administration in power. This administration aims to keep loyalists and no one else so that they don't hear no.
I've spoken with a few other probationary workers laid off, and they all voiced a similar experience: that they were told their work was "not in the public interest." They also all disagreed with that. Can you share the work you did to serve the American public? What the consequences are of defunding that type of work?
I led communications for an office that worked on research integrity and research security for misconduct cases receiving Public Health Service funded research.
Since I was at HHS for a total of five years, I worked on several topic areas, like: biosecurity, endemics, threats, and pandemics, research security, research integrity, LGBTQ+ health and rights (HHS and pride), women's health (postpartum campaign, women's health observances), minority health, syphilis and STD education, climate and health nexus, domestic violence and women's rights, mental health for specific populations including men, adolescents, women, and people of color.
Have you been talking to your HHS peers who were also laid off? What's been the common theme among those conversations?
How wrongful these terminations were and how appointed leadership is instrumental in spreading misinformation and bullying career feds into complying. This administration does not uphold the values of career feds and is doing everything they can to undermine policy, laws, and basic human decency. We are all proud civil servants who stand by our work and are being made to feel small. We will not allow this whether others who were elected to stand up for us do so or not. People who choose to serve have a unique ability to make the best out of all situations. We are optimistic, resourceful, smart, and collaborative people who work together to get things done.
What about conversations with people still at HHS? Do you have any sense of the vibe there right now post-layoffs?
Teams are struggling to continue their work without integral teammates. The morale is incredibly low because they have lost teammates and leadership, are being told to spread misinformation, and are bullied on what they should be doing to be a loyalist to this administration.
RFJ Jr. and his team actively promote spreading misinformation, purposefully don't provide clear direction on what direction HHS is going in, and fail to promote policies for the betterment of communities across the nation. HHS appointees are actively trying to undermine career staff, existing programs, and initiatives that support communities across the nation. They are promoting an environment that only supports loyalists to the administration.
People still there are actively being told to cancel all subscriptions that are not FOX, can only watch FOX, can only do research based on what DOGE approves, and only engage with partners approved by DOGE and appointed teams. They are actively working on censoring employees and cutting transparency off. People are fearful for their livelihoods, families, and communities across the nation.
What has it been like to see the federal government layoffs make headlines? To see a very personal experience written about by major news outlets? Do you feel like they capture your experience?
I do and don't. It is hard to wrap my head around the idea that Americans don't understand what agencies and offices do to keep communities safe and moving forward so that we all don’t just survive, but thrive. That's important, that we all move towards prosperity and happiness together.
The stories don't capture how unglamorous being a civil servant is. We submit countless applications, interview several times, produce high levels of education and expertise, and are subjected to performance tests prior to receiving an offer. Our pay is nowhere near what the private sector offers. I say that because I experienced it and chose being a public civil servant to serve the American people. The buildings are old, we give countless extra hours, we buy our own supplies, we don't get any type of razzle dazzle benefits (i.e. bagels, gym membership, gift cards, fancy events, etc.), and if we travel, it always has to be the most economical way. We adhere to strict ethics rules on what we can do in our spare time, how we can interact with the world, how we can express our views, and how we express our opinions. We do the work because we love our jobs and seeing how communities benefit from our work.
I would like to see more coverage on all the government programs and how they've bettered life across our nation. The government invests in initiatives, programs, and policies that will and do improve lives. No other business invests in programs over time to ensure betterment for all. That's the key, it's not for a select group of people, but all.
Do you and your former colleagues talk about DOGE? What are those conversations like?
The conversations are around how much money they have not saved, how much money they use, the disrespect they are to the nation's government, how disrespectful they are to workers, how unqualified they are to do any government work let alone assess the government's work, and how entitled they behave.
The truth is, they have no place in our government and would not pass the process to even have a job. The fact that they are getting paid to illegally assess and implement efficiency is a true disgrace. Some time in the future, when their work is assessed, the American people will become acutely aware of what a fraud this "special project" chosen by Trump was, including lack of qualifications, wrongful use of funds, and illegal behavior. It's only a matter of time before these truths will come out. For now, we stand by the work we did and will not let this administration tell us that climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, women's health, integrity, vaccinations, sexual health, etc. are misconduct. We are sad Americans don't know what we do but are on a mission to take back our narratives.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I have and will always be a proud public servant. It is and was an honor to serve and make a positive difference in the lives of others. Some time in the future, I may return. But for today, I can't be proud of the work I am being forced to do, the lies I am being forced to share, and the dissociation from my work I am being forced into to prove my loyalty to an administration I do not think has the best interest at our nation at heart. This administration is actively working to dismantle, undermine, and divide this nation. That is not what our government is about and I hope will not be our future.
Joya Patel is open to opportunities in government relations, communications, public health, and public affairs. Find her on LinkedIn.
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This is so heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing this.
Joya, I hope you forward this to every news outlet, YT channel and podcast you can find. I forwarded it to Brian Lehrer at WNYC. This is a killer. Thank you for being so brutally honest and I hope someone snatches you up soon.