I am a federal worker. I have been a resident of Bowling Green for 15 years. I attended BGSU and earned two degrees. I am a taxpayer. I shop local. My daughter attends school here. My husband works for a small business here. We have friends and family in BG. I am not “lazy.” I am not “leeching off government money.” I am not a waste of taxpayer dollars.
President Trump is attempting to make federal employees out to be the villains. I am asking you to please do your own research. The biggest lie that has been repeated is that 6% of the federal workforce works in office. The truth – and any good researcher can find this in the OMB document sent to Congress back in May 2024 – only about 10% of federal workers were hired as remote workers. 54% of the federal workforce is 100% in office. That leaves 36% of us who have some sort of hybrid work schedule – and even these employees work 60% or more of their time in the office.. This is me. I work 3 days a week in the office – IN COLUMBUS. I work the other 2 days a week from my home here in BG.
The second lie is that remote work/teleworking was a COVID era result. Please research the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. This act had several purposes, but it largely incentivized working for the federal government. One goal was to reduce cost in turnover and absenteeism. People like working for an employer who offers flexibility, so many people stay in federal service (even with the lower pay) because of these benefits. Before I became a federal employee I probably wouldn’t have believed that last sentence! However, I work with several people on my team who took huge pay cuts to join the federal workforce. This is what happens when a company offers people incentives to want to work there! AND because of this telework enhancement act the federal government did not shut down during COVID! Having this flexibility allowed important services to continue.
I became a federal employee to serve our country. While I am not military, I proudly support our warfighters in my daily job. This was a career changing job for me. I was looking for something more. Federal employment doesn’t make people rich but it does allow flexibilities and benefits that are not commonly found around our area. Working in Columbus, while difficult, is manageable because of the days I can work from home. Soon these days will be gone and I’ll be left with a life changing decision to make. Do I relocate my family to Columbus so I can sit in an office building with 3,000 other people – working on my computer all day? Do I quit my job and hope that I’m able to find something similar closer to home?
For me, as of this moment in time, it appears this will be my decision to make. So many federal employees are being terminated immediately. They have no choice. While I’m thankful to still have the ability to make this decision, I worry for our country. Does the public really believe that federal workers don’t do anything and deserve to be fired? Where are we going to be when there is no one left? Who are you going to call when there are only a handful of people still employed at the SSA? Who is going to treat our veterans at VA hospitals when half the workforce is let go? We may still have a military when this is all said and done, but who will be there to support them? We aren’t just talking about people’s livelihoods, we are talking about services that many people in our community need and use on a regular basis.
We can argue all day whether or not we believe the government has wasteful spending. I’m sure it does – as do all large companies. Are there employees who aren’t doing the work they are supposed to? Yes. Again as with all large companies. These are situations that should be looked at on a closer level, we should not be dismantling all of the federal government and just hoping for the best. Each cut, each closure, each termination has deeper cuts. In just my job alone, I support countless small businesses around our country. If I’m no longer able to buy from them or buy period – what happens to those businesses? Those employees? Those communities? The problems our country is facing are not going to get better simply because we have cut the federal workforce in half. Please research the number of federal workers and their pay in relation to the federal budget.
I appreciate that you have taken the time to read this far. You don’t have to like what I’ve stated or agree with it all. But I beg you to please consider the human side to this. People have already started losing their jobs with many more to follow. The American public is losing access to much needed programs and services. After you’ve done your own research, please call and write to your congressmen and senators. Please don’t forget about me and the countless other federal workers who call northwest Ohio home.
Your neighbor,
Katie Gill
Bowling Green
