As the Trump administration continues to make cuts to large parts of the federal workforce, the fired federal workers are starting to speak out.

Congressman Paul Tonko brought together a number of local community members who were federal employees until they were just laid off.

“There is no sensibility to these job cuts,” Tonko announced at the gathering in Albany Friday.

The fired workers represented a variety of different government agencies that have been drastically cut back. Agencies like the IRS, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Veterans Affairs have all seen drastic cuts to their workforce by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency. 

These former government workers say they feel even worse knowing that all the people in their communities that depended on them will no longer be getting help from them.

“What I don’t understand is how people some people are saying that cuts like this will not affect our veterans,” Jacqueline, a former Veterans Health Administration employee, said. “The work that just my program alone does is all about keeping the doctors, the nurses, and the other clinicians that are providing healthcare services to our veterans. I don’t understand [removing us].”

A strong supporter of President Trump’s actions, upstate New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do.

“From securing the border, to cutting wasteful spending of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars, President Trump has delivered the most exceptional first month of an American presidency in history. Promises made, promises kept. The American Golden Age is here.”

The people at Congressman Tonko’s meeting disagree with that sentiment. Several there said they spent their whole careers dedicated to their government jobs and never had a negative performance review, only to find out they were fired through a simple email.