WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has fired thousands of federal employees and many more dismissals are on the way. The actions are part of a sweeping reduction and reorganization of the government. In Texas alone, tens of thousands of federal employees are on edge, worried about their future.

What You Need To Know

  • The Trump administration has fired thousands of federal employees as part of a sweeping reduction and reorganization of the government, leaving federal workers including the almost 130,000 in Texas facing uncertainty 

  • Brittany Coleman, chief steward for AFGE Local 252 and Texas-based attorney with the Department of Education, said her work has been put on pause

  • Coleman has been an attorney for the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights in Dallas for almost six years and largely helps Texas students with disabilities, who need special accommodations or academic adjustments

  • Texas Democrats like Rep. Joaquin Castro have called the staffing reductions reckless

“I’m not going to sit there and say that I don’t check my account every day to make sure that I still have access,” said Brittany Coleman, chief steward for American Federation of Government Employees Local 252. “Based on what I’ve seen, there does not seem to be a rhyme or reason to being put on administrative leave. So it can happen to anyone at any time.” 

Coleman said she frequently checks to make sure she can log into the U.S. Department of Education’s network. She has been an attorney for the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights in Dallas for almost six years.

Coleman largely helps Texas students with disabilities, who need special accommodations or academic adjustments, or those who may have faced discrimination. After the Trump administration began, her work has been put on pause and she is bracing for the possibility it may end permanently. She said she is most worried about the students.

“People who are students and count on receiving services, who are not receiving those services, it’s a big problem because it may mean that it could affect how they’re able to handle their coursework or their conduct, and that can have long, lasting effects,” Coleman said. “So it’s very concerning to know that the work has stopped and that we may not be able to intervene in a timely manner.”

Coleman is among the almost 130,000 federal workers in Texas.

AFGE has held demonstrations in Washington, where Texas Democrats have been vocal criticizing the budget cutting efforts by President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, called the workforce reductions “reckless.”   

“I myself am a cancer patient and I think about how many people have placed their hope in a cure for things like cancer or diabetes or Alzheimer’s. The fact that as that research funding is cut and employees who do that kind of work have their grants and other funding frozen, it makes it less likely that we’re gonna get to those cures,” Castro said. “That’s making it more dangerous and more expensive for the American people.”

The Trump administration offered buyouts to federal employees to cut the size of the federal workforce. Coleman, who rejected the offer, said she believes there has been a misunderstanding about their jobs. She hopes her colleagues put on leave will be able to get back to work.

“That is something that I generally continue to emphasize, is that we want to work for the American public. Our colleagues want to be back on too, so they can work for the American public. So those are some of the main things that I would like to see,” Coleman said.

The Department of Education enforces civil rights protections for students, oversees federal financial aid and provides funding to local schools. President Trump has called for shutting the Department, but many legal experts say only Congress can do that.