James Stancil came to work at the Zablocki Veterans’ Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee just like every other Monday.

As a supply technician, he made sure nurses and doctors had the medical equipment they needed, like wound vacuum supplies or infusion pumps that deliver fluids and medications. He cleaned, stored and sterilized equipment used to care for veterans just like him.

But by the end of the day, he was out of a job.

The 61-year-old veteran served in the Army from 1985 to 1989, spending two years in West Germany along the Iron Curtain. Stancil said he received an honorable discharge, but that’s not how he described his firing on Feb. 24.

“This is just a slap in the face,” he said.

Stancil is among 10 employees who were fired at Zablocki and more than 2,400 veterans who have been laid off in recent weeks by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Stancil was on “probationary” status after he was hired last April. He, along with other federal employees in Wisconsin, received almost identical termination notices that said their performance did not show “further employment at the agency would be in the public interest.”

“To disparage my character by saying my performance has not met the burden to show that I’d be in the public interest. How dare you?” Stancil said, adding he’s appealing the decision.

The most recent available federal data shows Wisconsin had around 3,000 federal workers who have been serving for less than one or two years in their current roles. Often called probationary employees, they’ve been the first to be fired as President Donald Trump and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency seek to slash the federal workforce.

While a federal judge has ruled the firings were illegal, the Trump administration is directing agencies to develop plans for “large-scale reductions in force” by March 13.

Almost 11,000 federal employees work for the VA in Wisconsin, but it’s unclear how many have been affected. A VA spokesperson didn’t provide details on how many workers have been fired in Wisconsin, but confirmed a “small number of probationary staff” had been “dismissed” at Zablocki.

“This decision will have no negative effect on veteran health care, benefits or other services and will allow VA to focus more effectively on its core mission of serving veterans, families, caregivers and survivors,” VA spokesperson Bill Putnam said.

Michele Malone is president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3 union that represents Zablocki, which she said has more than 2,000 employees. Even so, she said the center was already running on a “skeleton” crew. A report last year by the VA’s Office of Inspector General found the facility had a severe shortage for 21 types of positions, including one of the positions held by Stancil.

“They’re harming people that work hard. … They do an awesome job in their jobs, and they’re just deliberately dismissing them without any probable cause,” Malone said.

Stancil said he was among two guys fired out of four in his department, saying that means double the work for those who remain. As for him, he still receives VA benefits as a veteran, but he received no severance and must now seek unemployment benefits.

“I drive a 1990 Buick that I just spent 1,800 bucks on to get out of the shop, so to lose that paycheck … I’ll be running out of money here in about 10 days,” Stancil said.

In recent town hall meetings, Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin noted veterans can receive special preference for jobs and may work their entire career on probationary status. She demanded transparency over mass layoffs at the agency. When asked by a constituent about cuts at the VA, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said the agency has been mismanaged, adding he hoped Trump and Musk could make it run more efficiently.

Disabled combat vet says this isn’t what he fought for after firing

Rob, a disabled combat veteran, found out via email on Feb. 13 that he had been fired from his position at the Natural Resources Conservation Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Rob requested WPR to only use his first name because he fears retaliation as he appeals his termination.

Rob served for more than a decade in the U.S. Army, including in the 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed in 2003 to Iraq and in 2004 to Afghanistan. In 2005, he joined the honor guard at Arlington National Cemetery, performing military honors for late President Gerald Ford and thousands of fallen service members.

When he got out of the military, he went back to school and worked in the oil and timber industries. Last year, he and his wife moved roughly 2,200 miles from northwest California to Chippewa Falls to accept a job he had held about three months before his firing. Struggling for words, he described his termination as his face reddened.

“It was frustrating. I’ve served my country and I’ve fought in war, and this is what I get,” Rob said.

Rob said he feels betrayed and wants to see all federal workers reinstated, including more than 50 people he said lost their jobs at the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Wisconsin. He said he’s heard some farmers may lose their farms due to the loss of aid from the agency.

With no severance, Rob is trying to figure out unemployment benefits and applying for jobs in his field with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and private consulting firms.

“My wife and I gave up everything. We owned a house that hasn’t sold yet. We’re renting here till our house sells. We left our friends, our family, everything, to come across the country for this,” Rob said. “Then, we just get basically kicked to the curb, and they haven’t even paid me my last paycheck yet.”

He and his wife reached out multiple times to the office of former Navy SEAL and Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, but Rob said that’s gone nowhere. He said his 10 years of military service counts toward time served in the federal government.

WPR reached out to Van Orden’s office about Rob’s termination and veteran status. In a statement, a spokesperson said the office has reached out to him.

“Since he is a veteran, he was first contacted by the congressman’s veterans liaison to ensure his well-being. Additionally, our agriculture staffer spoke with (Rob) today to gather more information on his situation. We are actively looking into ways to assist him,” the spokesperson said.

With a baby on the way, Ashland mom hunts for jobs after firing

Five months pregnant with her second child, Hayley Matanowski was planning to take maternity leave in the coming months. Now, she’s hunting for a job after the U.S. Forest Service fired her from her role as an administrative operations specialist at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland.

Matanowski said she was terminated for poor performance on Feb. 18 after working in the role for about 10 months. Her husband also works for the agency.

“It’s been really hard. We have a 3-year-old, so at home when she’s awake and we’re interacting with her, we’re trying really hard to just be, you know, business as usual,” Matanowski said. “She doesn’t know that mommy lost her job.”

Matanowski said three other center employees were also fired, including two she supervised who had no record of poor performance. At least a dozen employees with the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest have been fired, according to a union official.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which houses the Forest Service, said it didn’t have state-specific figures on firings. The agency said thousands have been let go in line with Trump’s order to “eliminate inefficiencies” and strengthen services.

“As part of this effort, USDA has made the difficult decision to release about 2,000 probationary, non-firefighting employees from the Forest Service,” a USDA spokesperson said. “To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters. Released employees were probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary IRA funding.”

In her position, Matanowski supervised three front desk staff and assisted the center’s director with overseeing the annual budget. The Forest Service shares the center with several other agencies, and she said they lost half of the four staff members who interact with tens of thousands of visitors who stop there every year.

“It’s hard for us to schedule our five days a week with just three people, like, if someone’s out sick,” Matanowski said. “With two of the four gone, I know for a fact that they’ve had to have other completely non-related Forest Service and also partner employees step in to staff the front desk that … are being taken away from their other duties and responsibilities.”

As for Matanowski, she said she and her husband have some savings, as well as support from family for child care. While he’s still employed, they stress over whether his job may also be eliminated.

She still worries more for others who have been let go, including her fired staff. One of them shared with WPR that they had lost their “dream job.”

NIH worker says she’s reeling from the loss of her job

That’s how Rachel felt when she was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 15. She was responsible for translating research for patients, clinicians and policymakers in her role working remotely in Milwaukee for the National Institutes of Health.

Rachel asked WPR to use only her first name because she fears retaliation as she’s appealing her termination.

Her work included helping people understand the science behind daily habits or preventive measures that can either avoid chronic conditions or keep them from growing worse. Rachel felt her job helped make the agency more efficient and accountable, which included developing a report to Congress on the agency’s performance.

She was just shy of her one-year anniversary when she received her notice of termination, which is set to take effect on March 14.

“It’s just really hard to accept. I wasn’t prepared for this. I’m pretty devastated,” Rachel said, her voice wavering.

The day before, she said a virtual goodbye to her team and frantically downloaded her performance review and federal records in anticipation of mass firings. As many as 1,500 probationary workers were cut at the National Institutes of Health, according to NPR.

Rachel lost her health insurance, and she said she never thought she would be applying for unemployment benefits. It’s still unclear whether her termination letter that cited poor performance will affect her ability to apply for benefits or future employment prospects.

While Rachel’s partner has a stable job, it’s been unsettling and destabilizing for them both. As she appeals her termination, Rachel doesn’t know what the future holds if she’s reinstated due to “return to work” mandates.

“The return-to-office (order) puts some pretty big barriers in the way because I’m not sure that we can afford for me to move out to (Washington) D.C. I’m not sure I want to do a long-distance marriage,” she said. “I’ve even thought about commuting weekly and finding an apartment, but I don’t think that that’s feasible either.”

She thought her USDA job was secure. Now, she’s looking for work.

In the days leading up to her firing, Jules Reynolds had heard from leadership that the Department of Agriculture was a “safe ship” amid rumors of looming layoffs.

On the morning of Feb. 14, she woke to an email notifying her she had been terminated from her position at the Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison due to poor performance.

The center is the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service station. Reynolds had been employed for about six months as program coordinator for the Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement or SHARE initiative. She supported research conducted by the program’s partners on issues like soil health and education by strengthening collaboration and guiding internal resources.

Reynolds said around a quarter of the center’s staff were fired, which included 20 scientists. That morning, she went into the office where she was told she needed to return a government-issued laptop and access card by the end of the day.

“There was this overwhelming sense of loss at the center, and not sure what would happen within the research or the projects of the center, because we had lost so many people,” Reynolds said.

While she said about half a dozen researchers were reinstated, Reynolds said the future of her position remains uncertain.

She was able to download her employment records and has since signed up to be part of a class action lawsuit. For the last six years, Reynolds said she worked as a server and bartender during grad school. Now, she’s once again looking for jobs or other sources of income to pay her rent and other bills.

“Even though I want my career to be one thing in the short term, I can go back to the service industry and at least buy groceries that way,” she said.

While she wants her USDA job back, she wonders whether it may be only temporary. She fears the firings will have ripple effects on early career scientists, as well as research that relies on federal funding.

As federal workers stare down large-scale layoffs, Reynolds said they’re not alone and support systems are available.

Rachel encouraged federal employees to hang in there, and Rob urged employees who have not yet been cut to download their electronic Official Personnel Folder to maintain copies of their records.

As federal workers fight for their jobs, James Stancil said he would go back to the Zablocki VA Medical Center in a heartbeat if reinstated. He likes the work and helping fellow veterans.

If not, Stancil said he’s not too worried because he believes God’s plan is more about being a good person rather than any job or title one may hold.

“If you’re a good person, don’t worry about the other stuff,” Stancil said. “It’ll take care of itself.”

Editor’s note: Anna Marie Yanny contributed reporting for this story.

This story was originally published by WPR.

‘A slap in the face’: Federal workers in Wisconsin fight their firings after mass layoffs is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s Madison office Tuesday to voice their concerns over potential cuts to Medicaid.

The Republican-led Congress is considering significant cuts to Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income households. In Wisconsin that includes programs like BadgerCare Plus, which serves children, pregnant people and non-disabled adults, and long-term care programs for people with disabilities and seniors.  

The House budget proposal could cut more than $880 billion in mandatory spending from the committee that oversees Medicaid, according to reporting by KFF Health News. While the Senate’s proposal doesn’t specify exact cuts, they plan to offset over $300 billion in new spending, according to NPR.

Dane County resident Laurine Lusk organized the protest because her daughter Megan is disabled and relies on the government program.

“She’s not safe without this care,” Lusk said.

She wanted to voice her concerns over any cuts to her daughter’s care, but she says she struggled to get in touch with Johnson’s office. 

In a response to questions from WPR and Wisconsin Watch about the protest and complaints that constituents were having trouble reaching him, Sen. Johnson provided a statement. He wrote: “It is difficult to respond to complaints and protests that have no basis in truth or fact. It is unfortunate that Democrat elected officials are lying to their supporters regarding the Senate Budget Resolution and encouraging them to take to the “streets.” I sincerely hope their actions do not result in violence. My primary goal is to keep my Wisconsin staff safe while enabling them to continue dedicating their efforts to help constituents.” 

The Republican senator’s office was closed to visitors Tuesday due to “previously scheduled outside commitments,” according to a sign taped to the office door. 

Protesters chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho Ron Johnson has got to go.” One protester held up a sign that said, “Answer your phone, Ron.”

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman faced a hostile crowd last week at a town hall in Oshkosh. When asked about Medicaid, he said cutting the program “would be a mistake,” according to previous WPR reporting. Other Republican lawmakers have come out against cuts to Medicaid.

Dorothy Witzeling drove from Appleton to join the protest. “I am terrified of what I am seeing happening with our government,” she said.

Witzeling carried a sign with a photo of her brother who had Down syndrome and relied on Medicaid for care.

Former Madison alder and former Dane County Board member Barbara Vedder said she attended the protest because she has a disability and couldn’t live without Medicaid.

“This is what democracy looks like,” Vedder said. “It brings my spirits up to see so many people speaking up because this needs to change.”

‘Not safe without this care’: Wisconsin Medicaid recipients fear budget cuts is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Thousands of federal workers in Wisconsin are under pressure to consider buyouts under President Donald Trump’s plans to shrink the federal government, which could affect services offered in the state.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program for federal employees, which is being challenged by several labor unions. Union leaders are warning workers that the deal may not be honored because Congress hasn’t authorized funds for it. The judge has set another hearing for Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile the White House has set a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday for federal workers to decide whether to take buyout offers.

As of last March, Wisconsin had more than 18,000 federal employees, and it’s unclear how many may have accepted the offer. 

They perform a wide range of duties that may include enforcing federal environmental regulations, providing financial aid to small businesses, maintaining medical centers and clinics for veterans, prosecuting criminal cases, providing military aid and disaster relief and much more.

Federal data shows most federal employees in Wisconsin work for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has nearly 11,000 employees based in the state.

Crystal Knoll, a veterans service officer in Vernon County, said most counties work with the regional Veterans Affairs office in Milwaukee when veterans file claims for benefits. Knoll said a shortage of staff, particularly doctors and nurses, would be a detriment.

“The VA is already kind of strapped for staffing, so it can kind of get hard to get veterans in for appointments,” Knoll said. “Thankfully, we do have community care programs so veterans can use the local facilities that are contracted with the VA, but it still puts a strain on even the general public getting appointments when we’re trying to use both the VA and civilian side of healthcare.”

The state has more than 323,000 veterans. In 2023, the VA spent more than $4.3 billion in Wisconsin for veterans services, including medical care and compensation for service-related disabilities.

The administration’s “Fork in the Road” directive warned employees that most federal agencies will likely be “downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force.” It’s been promoted by billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

In a statement, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said forcing out VA doctors, nurses and caseworkers would deprive veterans of care.

“Our federal government is not perfect — and I have some ideas on how to make it more efficient — but ripping the rug out from those who served is just beyond the pale,” Baldwin said.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said in a social media post that he had more faith in Musk to investigate waste, fraud and abuse than bureaucrats.

“They’re not accountable to anybody. They don’t provide the American public information through their elected representatives here in Congress, who else could investigate that?” Johnson told Fox Business news. “I applaud Elon Musk. I applaud the Trump administration.”

Knoll, who served with the Wisconsin National Guard, said she hasn’t observed any disruptions in service, but she’s heard conflicting information about whether the VA would be exempt from hiring freezes. The Office of Personnel Management has said a few agencies will see staff increases, and the agency noted it may grant exemptions for provision of veterans, Medicare and Social Security benefits. 

Federal union leaders say agencies already face staffing challenges

Jessica LaPointe, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 220, represents nearly 27,000 field workers with the Social Security Administration nationwide.

Based in Madison, LaPointe has spent much of the last 16 years processing claims for seniors and people living with disabilities. She said the proposed buyouts and threats of layoffs come as the agency is facing a 50-year low in staffing amid a growing number of beneficiaries.

“We’ve been in a hiring freeze for a year, so losing mass amounts of staff at the Social Security Administration would have a snowball effect as workloads mount on a stressed out workforce,” LaPointe said. “And how that translates to the public is severely long service delays.”

Most recent data shows 550 federal workers with the Social Security Administration are based in Wisconsin. LaPointe said people living with disabilities have seen wait times grow from two to eight months for approval of their benefits. At the same time, former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley told Congress in September that an estimated 30,000 people died in 2023 while waiting for such claims to be processed.

“We don’t just grapple with the uncertainty of our own job. We grapple with the uncertainty of the public that are relying on these earned benefits to survive,” LaPointe said. “We’re really sort of operating under a fight or flight or freeze environment.”

Federal workers weigh options and whether to return to offices

Most federal workers would also be forced to return to offices. One local union representative for federal workers in Wisconsin, an employee of the U.S. Forest Service, said such mandates done in the name of efficiency are decreasing productivity among employees. The person spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

“I have heard stories of people being furloughed because they’re speaking out against the administration,” the worker said. “As a union representative, I could potentially have a target on my back just for that, and that’s scary.”

The worker said many remote employees hired to work at offices in Wisconsin don’t live anywhere near them, leaving some in rural areas with tough choices and limited alternatives for other jobs. The worker said it feels like the administration is bullying people to accept buyouts, but many employees would lose their pensions if they left now.

The Forest Service is housed under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which employs more than 1,700 people in Wisconsin. Wisconsin workers with the Forest Service oversee timber sales, compliance with federal environmental laws, recreation in national forests and other duties.

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest bills itself as one of the nation’s top timber-producing forests, and annual harvests directly support around 57,000 jobs in the state’s forest products industry.

The union representative warned timber sales could be hamstrung or shut down amid buyouts or layoffs.

“We only have so many projects cleared and prepped that eventually, if we don’t have the people to even do the review … then we’re not going to be able to manage the national forests in the ways that the public deserves,” the union leader said.

Westby dairy farmer Darin Von Ruden, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, noted farmers often work with federal employees at the Farm Service Agency to sign up for crop insurance or access financial assistance when milk prices drop. They also take part in conservation programs that provide payments or cost-share assistance for practices that benefit water quality and control runoff.

He said reduced staffing could hurt Wisconsin farmers. 

“It could mean that farmers simply don’t get a check, or the check might come too late to help with making sure that the monthly bills get paid,” Von Ruden said. “Timeliness is everything, and that means that we have to have an accurate or a good amount of folks hired to make sure the process happens.”

In 2023, falling milk prices led to record payments under a program to help dairy farmers, including $276.8 millon to around 4,300 farms in Wisconsin.

Federal workers like LaPointe say they’ve devoted years of their life to serving the public.

“The public feels emboldened to attack federal workers instead of thank us for our service to this country,” she said. “We’re being demonized, and that takes a toll.”

This story was originally published by WPR.

Wisconsin has 18,000 federal workers. Trump’s plans for cuts could erode services. is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Lutheran groups in Wisconsin are defending their records of service after coming under attack on social media by Elon Musk, the tech mogul tapped by President Donald Trump to root out waste and inefficiency in the federal government.

Over the weekend, former national security advisor Michael Flynn posted on X, the social media platform Musk owns, accusing Lutheran organizations who receive federal grants of committing “money laundering.”

Musk responded that his team at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, is “rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.”

Federal grants totaling billions of dollars each year go to nonprofits to provide a range of community services that states don’t provide themselves, such as housing or food assistance.

Flynn’s post included screenshots of some Lutheran groups that receive federal funds. But it’s unclear how Flynn identified which Lutheran groups to name in his post, or how Musk determined those payments to be illegal.

The two Wisconsin groups included by name in Flynn’s post are Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Services (WLCFS), a Christian mental health care provider in Germantown, and the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation in La Crosse, a nonprofit health clinic that no longer has any affiliation with the Lutheran Church.

A spokesperson for Christian Family Services, which oversees WLCFS, said the group understands its government funding to still be in place.

“We have been following the news with interest because we know that any funding we receive – whether from public or private sources – is a privilege and could end at any time,” the spokesperson said.

In a statement, Gundersen’s parent group, Emplify Health, said the group works with officials of all parties.

“Any public funding we receive is through existing public programs, approved through the legislative process, and is used to improve access to healthcare for our patients,” the statement reads.

‘I think he got this one wrong’

Other Wisconsin-based Lutheran service groups that received federal aid in recent years were not included in Flynn’s post. That includes Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

“I actually responded to Musk,” said Héctor Colón, that group’s president.

Colón said he’s interested in Musk’s career trajectory, and said curbing wasteful government spending would support communities that need government resources.

“But I told him, I think he’s got this one wrong,” he added.

Colón said his organization has operated for 143 years and serves about 30,000 people per year, providing youth development, mental health and substance use services, housing coordination and other services.

The group has also helped resettle about 11,000 refugees over the last 50 years — another government project that is largely outsourced to nonprofit groups. That work has also been targeted under the Trump administration, and funding for Colón’s group’s refugee work has been suspended since last month, under a stop work order issued to all American resettlement groups.

“Not only is it the humanitarian thing to do for these individuals, but there’s economic benefits as well,” Colón said. “Right now, there’s a huge shortage of workers. And these individuals come here, they end up loving America, and clearly are on a path to citizenship and buying homes and having jobs and contributing to the broader economy.”

Since his brief stint in Trump’s first administration, Flynn has become a figurehead for the QAnon conspiracy movement. In other social media posts, he criticized money that goes to Catholic charity groups.

Flynn is tied to Christian nationalist groups that often see mainline Protestant groups as anti-Christian, according to Julie Ingersoll, an expert in American religion and politics at the University of North Florida. But many faith-based groups take on governmental priorities or projects, she added.

“Part of our whole system — in which we give tax advantages and all to religious organizations — part of the justification for that is the charitable work that they do,” she said. “(The government) can’t insist that that a group that wants to get funding for some charitable work be a secular group. That’s been considered by the courts to be discrimination against religious viewpoints.”

Indeed, the bulk of governmental refugee resettlement work is done by faith-based groups, primarily those with Protestant, Catholic and Jewish origins. Since 1980, that work has been standardized under the Refugee Act. Refugees have been granted legal status to be in the United States. Community-based groups do the work of getting them set up with housing and jobs, train them about how to set up utilities and bank accounts, and get their kids into school.

“They’re doing work that the federal government isn’t doing and can’t do, and they see it as part of their Christian mission to do good in the world,” said Ingersoll.

This story was originally published by WPR.

Elon Musk calls for cutting funds to Lutheran groups, including in Wisconsin is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.