Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Every morning recently, one federal employee wakes up and wishes she had not. She has lost 20 pounds since January 21, 2025 and says she is traumatized.
Another employee, an Iraq War veteran with PTSD at the Department of Veterans Affairs, says he has gone from loving his work to considering taking his life.
A third is struggling to sleep and has stress headaches, fearing the loss of a job he once thought was guaranteed as long as he met his targets.
The three are among a growing number of federal employees who say their mental health is suffering as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to cut and streamline a service from which he had promised to remove waste before his election. Leading the charge is Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has already recommended firing more than 200,000 federal workers, while an estimated 75,000 have accepted voluntary resignation deals.
Federal Workers’ Mental Health Crumbles Amid Trump and DOGE Cuts Federal Workers’ Mental Health Crumbles Amid Trump and DOGE Cuts Photo Illustration by Newsweek/Getty Images
Sarah Levine-Miles, a psychotherapist who works in a clinic in North Bethesda, Maryland, which is 20 minutes from the heart of the federal government in Washington D.C., told Newsweek she has seen a noticeable increase in federal workers and their family members seeking mental health support.
Influencers claim beef tallow has health and beauty benefits. Not necessarily, experts say.
