- The BI spoke to a federal employee’s military spouse how mass firing influenced them.
- He said these changes, called ‘psychological war’, have eliminated family planning.
- Employee military spouses, 27 % for the federal government, 2 % compared to Americans.
When Cassandra Ramsey arrived at a US military base in Wesabad, Germany in October, she met with the employment preparation office. An employee said he would get a federal government job, no matter what.
And 27 -year -old Ramsey got a job. On February 25, he received a offer to work as an alternative teacher through the Defense Department’s activity. Four days before stepping into the classroom, until March 6, the work was stopped by President Donald Trump’s administration and the White House Dodge Office’s federal workforce.
Ramsey is one of the many federations-or for some, the first federal employee-the military spouses who have been affected by the efforts of the Dodge, such as firing and office of office mandate. The BI recently talked about the fired and current federal employee of the military spouse, how these changes are affecting the military families, whose lives are often described as actions.
Although the federal government is generally considered as a more stable work option for military spouses, but The early weeks of Trump’s second term have promoted the idea – for those who spoke to the BI, this time has been “disappointing” and “disturbing”.
According to December 2024, the unemployment rate for military spouses is more than five times the national average, Report From the labor department. Of the employees, about 27 27 % work for the federal government, compared to the adjoining 2 % of the overall USThe report received.
The Trump administration has made efforts to protect military families from recent changes in the federal manpower, such as the Office of Management and Budget, in February, exempt military spouses from returning to the office mandate on remote work contracts. The BI talked to these families, however, said the rollout has been shaky, which has left his life in uncertainty.
The White House did not respond to the BI request to comment.
Federal Job is usually attractive to military spouse
When Ramsey and her husband, an air traffic controller, moved to Germany for the first permanent change in their station, she knew that it would be difficult to find a job. However, federal employment seemed like a viable option, especially because the government gives some priorities to the military spouse in the process of serving.
“They encourage military spouses to work for the federal government because all their jobs are particularly worthwhile, Ramsi told the BI in early March. He encourages them so much that they have people deployed at every frigid base to help you write their list of experiences.” Upon arriving in Germany, he applied for federal jobs only, and although his job offer is still technically accurate, it is indefinitely.
When Cassandra Ramsey moved to Germany, she was told that she would easily get government jobs. Cassandra Ramsey
39 -year -old Emily Grosan became a government contractor in 2008 and a civil servant in 2015. She met her husband while they were both working in Washington, DC – she showed her a ride – and is often accustomed to moving. His family moved three times in three years and has lived in Charlottes Vill, Virginia, for the past one and a half years. He is currently on a remote work agreement and arrangements have allowed him to maintain his career.
“Many people talk about service. For me, this is not a service,” Grasson told the BI. She said she was looking for a job in the private sector last year, but the main reason was not that she was not convinced that she would work better with her husband’s career.
A government contractor for the Veterans Affairs Department, who was fired at the end of February, said it is difficult to work as a military spouse in the private sector as you have to start with every move. The contractor, who requested not to disclose his name for fear of retaliation, said that the deal provided flexibility and financial stability, which is in line with his family’s lifestyle.
Now, out of a job, both he and Ramsey freely told the BI that they had worked for the federal government.
Ramsey said, “I have been.” The benefits for me are not worth it. “
Changes that feel like a ‘psychological war’
Gorsen is still on a remote work agreement, as under the OPM’s memo, a military spouse has been exempted from returning office. Still, he said that a senior executive in the Navy told him at a meeting that he could have to inform the defense department’s facility, though he had not heard from other managers.
“The intellect has left the building into the implementation of the OPM memo.” A swing voter who has supported both sides blames the agency’s leadership more than Trump for confusion.
Nevertheless, not all military spouses can benefit from remote work exemption, as stated in the February memo: Some employees have been called back to the office five days a week on telecom contracts, including a DC -based DOD employee, whose husband is in the Marines and has been named for retaliation. BI has confirmed its identity.
He said he only accepted his current job because he was eligible for telecommunication, personally two days a week. Now, he said he was being asked to return to the office starting on April 2, as the OPM memo applies to remote workers, not to telecommunications.
She asked if she could turn to a remote employee and work for three days from home. He wrote a letter that was reviewed by the BI, which demanded a waiver. So far, nothing has been done.
“We have been saved a lot from being able to work at home for three days a week,” he said. He saved our money. This has saved our time. Thus we are allowed to marry. “
Solid 62 miles from her office, she travels between three to four hours a day, leaves the house at 5 o’clock in the morning and comes home after 6pm. These days, “It’s like I’m a robot.” Her husband has to leave a job in Marines soon to take his daughter from daycare, and she will have to do so every week in April.
With Federal Higher Freez, she can’t apply for other jobs near her home. The series of changes has felt it as a “psychological war”.
“The federal government has been like stability in our lives,” he said.
Increase in family and financial plans
Although the OPM memo protects some military spouses from the distance mandate, it does not protect them from implementation, or reduction in RIFS, which are coming to the agencies.
The DOD employee’s husband is ready for development, and if he is found, he will last six months. Assuming that she still has a job and she cannot keep telecommunication, she said, adding that she would have to take a leave without pay so that she would not have any difference in her service.
She and her husband have begun to talk about what will happen if she is dismissed – she will probably leave Maryland, with her prices, and will return home in Midwest. She said her husband, a Marine, which has 10 years of service, Don’t know what to make the recent actions of the federal government.
“He feels just that, when I am present to support US and American families, you are not helping me, but no one is supporting my family,” he said.
Gorson is also preparing for an RIF – most of his fellow workers have a much more official experience, even though they have been a civil servant for 10 years. If he was fired, he said he and his two sons would likely go to California’s 1,691 square foot house in California. She will go out of her, 000 3,000/month rent in the Charlotes Will, and her husband will go to a studio in hopes of raising her only salary.
“My mother is very old to take care of the children,” Grayson said.
Emily Groves said that if her family was fired from the Defense Department, she would have to be separated. Emily Greyson
When the Veterans worked for the Affairs Department, the contractor was talking to BI, she was looking for a week. Her husband intends to retire soon and pay professional training, she was already starting to pull her professional contacts to try to find a job.
“You are constantly starting,” he said of the military spouse. “I am right now. I’m trying now. I really have nothing that is moving forward.”
Can affect military recruitment and maintain
In that 2023 Annual ReportBlue Star Families found that military spouse job active duty is a first issue for spouses and a high five issue for active duty service members.
Grouvson said the wife’s job has faced years of recruitment challenges, and recent actions by the Trump administration have made them just worse. He said that without a two -income house, he said, it is very difficult to have a family, which is attractive to less and less young Americans.
He told the BI, “When you have a potato force, no one leaves for 20 years to keep a family.” “And if you are women, you can’t, like you can’t serve 25 to 45, or from 20 to 40, and still has its family. It is not possible biologically – not impossible, but it is unrealistic.”
The DOD employee said it could see the recent dodge’s recent efforts to reduce efforts to reduce the federal workforce affecting the recruitment, mainly for people who are already married. But even more, she sees that her re-register affects the number-her husband has talked about leaving the marines if things do not change.
Challenges also predict the challenges to maintain the contractor, saying that there are probably people who go away from “because of the harmful effects on its military families”.
For now, Ramsey is still in Germany, the military is based in base housing and is paying some Bills relatively FEW. She sometimes feels guilty of complaining about her situation because she knows that other military families are worse. But if her husband has been kicked out of Germany and has no federal job to return home?
“We will just get damaged.”
Madison Huff collaborated on reporting.