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During the spring of 2025, Michaela experienced a sudden, stabbing ache radiate from her hip as she leaned down to tend to her garden. Then she fell over and was unable to rise.

Her husband called an ambulance and she was admitted in a hospital, where, in her late fifties, doctors discovered she had a tumor on her spine. It was metastatic breast cancer.

"I had no warning this would occur, and I was heartbroken. Initially, I didn’t clearly understand that it was part of my breast cancer which had spread to my spine, which I learned is common for it to go," she explained.

"Should I pass away early, I could not imagine leaving [my husband] here. We really don’t have little family. We are without any children."

Following the victory in the 2024 election, Michaela’s husband prepared to be forced back into the office at the Department of Transportation in Washington DC. He had worked remotely since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, from their home outside Baltimore.

On the inaugural day in office on 20 January, an executive order was signed demanding all federal agencies end all remote work arrangements. Federal personnel officials instructed agencies to implement the policy irrespective of existing union agreements.

"My spouse is a long-time employee in government service, and he is highly skilled in his field. He has worked for two decades more now, so it’s exhausting for him. We are in our fifties. He departed the house at 5 a.m. in the morning and getting home at 7 p.m. at night," Michaela said. Her identity is protected as her husband remains employed at the agency and fears reprisal.

During the summer, she underwent an operation, a laminectomy. Shortly following that, she had stereotactic radiation, and is now taking an oncology regimen called Kisqali alongside hormone therapy.

She had stage one breast cancer a decade ago, but successfully treated it, as it was caught early, with a partial lumpectomy, radiation, chemotherapy and tamoxifen. Through regular checkups, she stayed on top of it, prior to her latest diagnosis of advanced metastatic breast cancer.

Surviving Job Cuts and Reorganization

Throughout this year, Michaela’s husband survived layoffs at the DOT. By May, nearly 2,800 employees had left the agency, due to the cuts as well as employees retiring and people quitting.

Per a internal document on its plan for staff reductions and restructuring, the agency estimated that by December 31, 2025, its staffing levels would be reduced by approximately 20 percent from earlier levels.

This translates to more than 10,000 reduced staff at the Department of Transportation. Federal employee cuts have surpassed targets, with a significant number of workers exiting the federal government and only a fraction of new hires.

"We were worried about RIFs. It is clear based on the way this administration functions, that this remains a constant threat because policies disregard the law," Michaela explained.

She added that specialized positions at the agency are hard to come by and private firms often want to pay lower salaries.

Enduring a Federal Closure

While the DOT was losing staff, on 1 October a closure of the federal government began, lasting for 43 days, the most protracted in American history.

Michaela and her husband celebrated their 18th anniversary in early November, during the ongoing closure, but remained home because they couldn’t afford to go out to eat due to her husband going without a paycheck for multiple weeks.

She is thankful the government shutdown concluded as she was anxious over healthcare costs, but laments the increases in healthcare premiums she and her husband have experienced, as well as for those who rely on healthcare through the ACA exchanges.

"I felt desperate. I felt impoverished. I was astonished, scared, and I watched my husband and there were a few times where he was sitting at his desk and he was just staring out the window. He was becoming despondent," she recounted.

A Personal Offense

"We’re just one drop in a bucket of countless people who work so hard to achieve their positions, who try to do the correct thing, and those who are making all the decisions are seemingly dismantling and leading the government and treating federal workers like adversaries, that they are not citizens, and that they should be attacked. And I take personal offense to that," she said.

A Looming Threat

Her current concern is a potential looming federal closure in late January, with the vast majority of federal funds set to lapse again absent a long-term deal.

"The temporary funding measure comes up for a vote again on the 30th of January and I fear this is going to happen once more. We’ve been through several shutdowns. This by far was the worst," she stated. "I’m already battling a serious disease, and I am uncertain where it’s going to take me. I could be here for another year or two. I might live for 10 years."