'I Thought We Were Safe': Federal Contractors Among 13K Laid Off In MD

TOWSON, MD — "It kinda had that surreal, countdown to impending doom feeling," Randallstown resident Tyrone Washington said.

His employer found out its federal contract was terminated at 1 p.m. on Feb. 28. By 3:30 p.m. that day, Washington and his teammates were among the 13,000 Marylanders laid off amid the ongoing federal government downsizing ordered by President Donald Trump. Although frustrated, the laid-off workers see the sudden change as a chance to re-evaluate their career paths.

Washington worked in information technology at the Social Security Administration's Woodlawn headquarters. He was among 15 FedTec employees laid off from the Baltimore County office. Another five lost their jobs in Washington, D.C. FedTec did not reply to Patch's request for comment.

David Petersen, one of Washington's former coworkers from Dundalk, felt "shock, kind of a numb feeling." Towson resident Hong Yee, another ex-colleague, said the firing came "out of the blue."

"Our contract was for another two years. I thought we were safe," Yee told Patch.

Related: Have you been laid off by the federal government? Take Patch's survey and tell us about your experience. We may publish the information you share.

Trump is slashing federal spending alongside Elon Musk, the world's richest person, who's at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE is requiring all federal agencies to submit plans for layoffs by Thursday to the Office of Personnel Management, the government's human resources division.

The writing was on the wall when Washington heard his bosses say "Office of Personnel Management."

"Those three words right there, I knew that was it. That was DOGE. We're gone," Washington said.

Washington used to think the steadiest jobs were with the federal government and its contractors. He now thinks the most secure jobs lie in local government and private industry.

"Federal government? Kind of iffy right now," Washington said. "That illusion's kind of been shattered."

Resources for affected workers are available at bit.ly/baltcoworkforcehelp and response.maryland.gov/federalpublicservants.

MD Layoffs Nearing 13K

Washington, Petersen and Yee were among hundreds who attended a job fair Thursday in Towson. The event recruited laid-off workers for 15 agencies in the Baltimore County government.

Most of the layoffs have targeted probationary employees, those who were recently hired or promoted.

Cuts at the National Parks Service shook up Baltimore's Fort McHenry, while other layoffs hit the Silver Spring-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Education also face significant downsizing.

The Trump administration has laid off 11,619 federal workers statewide, the Maryland Board of Revenue Estimates reported Thursday. Another 9,412 layoffs and 7,700 buyouts are expected. That would bring the total to 28,731 federal positions eliminated in Maryland.

That's just the government-employed civil servants. It doesn't count the over 1,000 federal contracting layoffs announced last month in Maryland.

Laid-off workers are expected to miss out on $3 billion in wages, costing the state and local jurisdictions $262 million in tax revenue this year.

Lawsuit Tries To Stop Federal Layoffs

Leading a coalition of 20 attorneys general, Maryland's Anthony Brown filed a lawsuit urging a federal court to stop the layoffs and reinstate the affected workers.

Maryland Democrats introduced legislation this week that would credit laid-off workers for the time they already served if reinstated. The Protect Our Probationary Employees Act is backed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Sarah Elfreth and Rep. Steny Hoyer.

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore recently unveiled a five-pronged plan to recruit laid-off employees to fill state and county government vacancies.

"There's all kinds of jobs here in Baltimore County. From lawyers to CPAs to people to help do maintenance, we have all sorts of jobs here. Police officers, firefighters," County Executive Kathy Klausmeier (D) said. "There's thousands of jobs here, and there's jobs that need to be filled."

Opinions on the government downsizing largely follow party lines, but for the laid-off employees, the debate is about more than politics; it's about livelihood.

"We always thought federal government was safe, but it's not anymore," Yee said.

'You Have To Cut Something'

Though they didn't anticipate the layoffs, the workers stomached the news as gracefully as possible.

Petersen, 50, who lives in Dundalk, would have preferred more notice and a chance to transfer to a different team, but he remains grateful that his health benefits continue through March.

"I'm not bitter. I'm a little upset," Petersen said. "If my business was in the same shoes, I probably would do the same thing."

Petersen didn't feel personally attacked by the layoffs. He sees the cuts as a necessary part of spending reduction.

"It's to be expected. I grew up in a small business, and if the money's not there, you gotta do something. You have to cut something," he said, comparing government balance sheets to personal and business budgets. "As long as the important services get covered, things should all work out."

Petersen was already looking for a new job, so he views this as an opportunity to prepare for the second half of his career.

"I'm not crazy. I know the environment changes," Petersen said. "It seemed to be kind of the world saying, 'Now, you really need to do it.'"

Yee is similarly looking for a change. He doubles as a graphic and web designer, but he is also looking to break into technical writing.

"I'm in a crossroads right now," Yee said. "It kind of gave me the kick in the butt I needed."

Along with layoffs, DOGE wants to trim spending on grants, aid and government office buildings. Klausmeier is monitoring the ever-changing list of federal properties that could be sold in Baltimore County.

The General Services Administration last week released a list of over 400 "non-core properties" that could be "designated for disposal." That initial list featured 21 Maryland buildings on the chopping block, including 14 in Woodlawn. The GSA trimmed the list to 320 properties hours later before deleting the post altogether, replacing the page with a "Coming soon" message.

"We don't know because one day they're on the list, the next day, they're not on the list," Klausmeier said. "We're just trying to keep up with what they're doing."

Related:

• Education Dept. To Cut Half Its Staff: See Possible MD Impacts
• County Government Recruits Laid-Off Federal Workers At Towson Job Fair
• Nando's Offering Free Chicken To Federal Workers
• Trump Prepares Order To Close Dept. Of Education: See MD Impacts
• These MD Federal Buildings Could Be 'Designated For Disposal'
• Job Fair Hiring Laid-Off Federal Workers In Baltimore County
• Federal Worker Layoff Survey: Share Your Story With Patch
• Layoffs At NOAA Denounced, MD Leaders Expand Job Resources
• Will MD Residents See DOGE Payments? What To Know
• Trump Administration Seeks Plans On Moving Federal Agencies Out Of DC Region
• MD Lawmakers Protest Trump Cuts, Data Sharing: 'Keep Hands Off Social Security'
• MD Launches Resource Website For Federal Workers Affected By Layoffs