Wisconsin Public Radio

Federal Workers in Wisconsin Fired Amid Nationwide Layoffs

Workers with US Forest Service and National Park Service among those affected.

By , Wisconsin Public Radio - Feb 19th, 2025 09:50 am
Elon Musk. Photo taken April 28, 2017 by Steve Jurvetson. (CC BY 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Elon Musk. Photo taken April 28, 2017 by Steve Jurvetson. (CC BY 2.0)

Thousands of federal workers have been fired since late last week, including probationary employees with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service in Wisconsin.

The mass layoffs come as the Trump administration takes sweeping steps to slash the federal workforce, with job cuts led by billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. The firings follow a Feb. 11 executive order issued by President Donald Trump to scale back the number of workers.

The U.S. Forest Service is firing 3,475 employees nationwide, said Matt Brossard, general vice president of the Forest Service Council with the National Federation of Federal Employees union. The Forest Service Council represents about 20,000 employees, including workers in Wisconsin.

“The U.S. Forest Service manages national forests, manages all the recreation areas, campgrounds, visitor centers, all of that is going to take a hit,” Brossard told WPR.

The agency did not immediately provide details on the firings in Wisconsin. WPR spoke with several Forest Service workers and a union representative in Wisconsin about the cuts. They requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation. The union official said a dozen probationary employees were fired in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest over the weekend, adding workers fear that layoffs are just beginning to ramp up.

One Forest Service worker in Wisconsin said they were called in on Saturday by their supervisor and notified their termination was effective immediately due to poor performance. They were directed to fill out paperwork, return federal credentials or access cards and log out of computers. The federal worker said they never had anything but excellent performance reviews.

“It’s not right,” the fired worker said. “It’s illegal. It’s a lie.”

Another U.S. Forest Service worker with knowledge of the situation corroborated the account. Agency workers say those affected include veterans, people who just purchased a home and another individual with a baby on the way.

One individual said they received no severance. The employee will receive a final paycheck, as well as any unpaid leave. While they’re eligible for unemployment, the worker said the maximum payment is nowhere near what they were making.

Some say they’re exploring appeals or potential legal challenges, which might include joining lawsuits filed by unions. Unions are seeking a court order to temporarily bar the Trump administration’s firing of federal employees, which they have said is unlawful. Brossard said union lawyers are seeking a ruling that would retroactively bar firings that began last week, and a federal judge planned to release a decision in the near future.

Wisconsin has about 2,200 workers across federal agencies that had been employed for less than a year, according to the most recent federal data. However, one Forest Service employee with knowledge of firings in Wisconsin said there’s a misconception that probationary workers are new to government work. Some staff members who were fired have been in federal service for 10 years or longer.

“We’re not nameless, faceless federal bureaucrats,” the federal worker said. “We’re people living in these communities, too.”

The Forest Service employee said some might be forced to leave rural northern Wisconsin to look for other jobs.

Elsewhere in northern Wisconsin, several federal probationary employees with Apostle Islands National Lakeshore have also been fired, according to Julie Van Stappen, the lakeshore’s former chief of resource management. The National Parks Conservation Association said Friday that 1,000 employees with the National Park Service are being laid off nationwide, but the agency plans to exempt 5,000 seasonal workers.

Van Stappen said probationary workers at the Apostle Islands received an email Friday, noting the lakeshore has more new employees than normal due to staff turnover in recent years. She said the Apostle Islands typically has an estimated 25 to 30 permanent employees each year and about 35 to 45 seasonal workers. It’s unclear how many workers might have been affected by cuts and whether they were permanent or seasonal staff.

“I don’t know if any of the seasonal employees are able to come back or be hired,” Van Stappen said.

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Photo: Justin Meissen (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Photo: Justin Meissen (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Staff with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and National Park Service did not immediately respond to a request for details on the firings. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has 21 islands spread over an area of Lake Superior that’s nearly 290,000 acres, which is larger than Rocky Mountain National Park.

The cuts come as Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany has proposed designating the Apostle Islands as the first national park in Wisconsin. While Van Stappen doesn’t think that designation would provide any advantage to the public, she questioned how resources and services would be maintained while staff is being cut.

She noted seasonal employees interact with the public on reserving campsites, providing safety information, conducting field work, managing natural resources, maintaining historic structures and aiding with search and rescue.

“I don’t have any idea how the park is going to function or how the resources will be negatively affected. But for sure, the public will be,” Van Stappen said.

WPR also verified firings at other agencies, including researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin expressed alarm over the mass firings.

“Trump and Republicans are finding every which way to make room in the budget for tax breaks for their wealthy friends – even cutting support for our veterans, aviation employees tasked with making flying safe, and nurses, doctors, and scientists who work to keep Wisconsin families healthy,” Baldwin said in a statement.

In a statement, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said the nation is now more than $36 trillion in debt with a $1.8 trillion deficit.

“A private sector entity in this financial condition could not survive and would employ no one. To avoid a destructive debt crisis, a dramatic reduction of federal spending must occur. We are witnessing the beginning of that process,” Johnson said. “Better we do it in a controlled manner instead of in an uncontrolled crisis.”

Listen to the WPR report

‘It’s illegal’: Federal workers in Wisconsin fired amid nationwide layoffs was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.

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Comments

  1. CraigR says:

    The cruelty of this administration is starting to hit us locally. Ron Johnson enthusiastically voted for the Trump tax cuts which primarily benefitted the super rich and himself in particular, which made the deficit explode. So ask him why is he whining?
    I’m sure there are many programs that could be thoughtfully trimmed but there’s no thought being done. There’s no evaluation of skills or dedication. Who would want that in their own employment?
    When all these jobs are cut, prepare for a big recession, as people will stop spending out of fear.

  2. Patricia Jursik says:

    In WI Gov. Evers has a goal to plant 30M trees to replace our lost canopy by 2030 This move by the Feds is counterproductive and will hurt not only our forests but the logging industry as well. Sen. Johnson should not remain mute given this loss to WI. It’s time our elected representatives stop sitting on the sidelines.

  3. Patricia Jursik says:

    Correction on my post: The original goal of the Gov. was 100 M trees by 2030, they have over 30 M more to go.

  4. mkwagner says:

    I find it offensive that this article uses both firing and laying off as synonyms. They are not. What is happening is mass layoffs. These mass layoffs will hurt rural communities as well as Wisconsin’s tourist industry. Why? So HWSNBN’s administration can provide massive tax cuts to the uber wealthy. This will only increase the deficit and our national debt. Since the Reagan administration, all republican presidents have increased the deficit and our national debt. During that same time period, democratic presidents have decreased the deficit. Clinton handed off to Bush Jr. a balanced budget, who proceeded to wipe it out by significantly reducing the capital gains tax. This maneuver is why folks like Musk, Bezos, and Charles Koch pay less taxes than their employees. It is also why Ron Johnson hasn’t paid any taxes since 2017.

    HWSNBN’s executive orders have done little to bring down the price of eggs and other necessities. He is screwing the people who voted for him.

  5. AnotherReader says:

    I emailed Senators Baldwin and Johnson regarding my concerns about the impact of these layoffs on the people of Wisconsin. The difference in their responses was striking.

    Baldwin’s was thoughtful, well-written, and actually addressed my concerns.

    Johnson’s was full of paeans to HWSNBN and how he is addressing the bloat, big government, and UNACCOUNTABLE BUREAUCRATS (um, can you say MUSK, anyone?) with links and screenshots of Johnson’s social media posts. Absolutely nothing about Wisconsin.

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