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In early May 2025, Michaela experienced a sudden, stabbing ache shoot from her hip while she bent over to water some plants. She collapsed and was unable to rise.

Her spouse summoned emergency services and she spent the night in a hospital, where, in her late fifties, doctors discovered she had a tumor on her spine. The diagnosis was metastatic breast cancer.

"I had no warning that that was going to happen, and I was devastated. Initially, I wasn't fully aware 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 have any family. We are without children of our own."

Following the victory in the 2024 presidential election, Michaela’s husband prepared to be forced back into the office at the Department of Transportation in Washington DC. He had been teleworking since the onset of the global pandemic, from their residence outside Baltimore.

On the inaugural day in office on 20 January, an executive order was signed demanding all federal agencies end all telework arrangements. Federal personnel officials instructed agencies to enact the order despite collective bargaining contracts.

"My husband’s a veteran with the administration, and he is highly skilled in his field. He’s been doing this for two decades more now, so it is draining for him. We are in our fifties. He was leaving the house at 5 a.m. in the morning and returning at 7 p.m. at night," Michaela said. Her identity is protected as her husband still works at the agency and is concerned about reprisal.

During the summer, she underwent an operation, a laminectomy. Shortly following that, she had stereotactic radiation, and is currently on an cancer treatment called Kisqali and hormone therapy.

She had early-stage breast cancer a decade ago, but was able to treat it, due to early detection, with a surgical procedure, radiation, chemotherapy and tamoxifen. With consistent monitoring, she managed her health, before her recent diagnosis of stage four metastatic breast cancer.

Surviving Job Cuts and Reorganization

Throughout this year, her spouse survived layoffs at the Department of Transportation. By May, thousands of employees had departed the department, due to those reductions as well as employees retiring and voluntary resignations.

According to a internal document on its plan for staff reductions and restructuring, the agency estimated that by December 31, 2025, its workforce would be reduced by approximately 20 percent from levels at the start of the year.

This would correlate to over ten thousand reduced staff at the department. Government workforce reductions have exceeded goals, with hundreds of thousands of workers exiting the government and only a fraction of replacements.

"We were worried about layoffs. It is clear given the way things are operating, that this is always on the table because they ignore the law," she elaborated.

She added that specialized positions at the agency are difficult to find and private firms often want to pay lower salaries.

Facing a Federal Closure

While the DOT was losing staff, on 1 October a closure of the U.S. government began, continuing for over a month, the longest in American history.

Michaela and her husband marked their 18th wedding anniversary in the fall, while the shutdown continued, but remained home because they couldn’t afford to dine out due to her husband not being paid for several weeks.

She is thankful the government shutdown ended as she was worried about healthcare costs, but rues the rising costs in insurance 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, frightened, and I observed my husband and there were a few times where he sat at his desk and he gazed out the window. He was becoming despondent," she recounted.

A Personal Offense

"We’re just one drop in a ocean of millions people who work so hard to get where they are, who attempt to do the right thing, and those who are making all the decisions are seemingly dismantling and managing the government and treating government employees like adversaries, that they are lesser citizens, and that they deserve targeting. I find this personally offensive to that," she said.

Future Uncertainty

Her current concern is a potential looming government shutdown in late January, with the bulk of federal funds set to lapse again without a long-term deal.

"The continuing resolution is up for renewal again at the end of January and I fear this will repeat once more. We have endured several shutdowns. This by far was the most severe," she stated. "I am already fighting a serious disease, and I am uncertain what the future holds. I may survive for a couple more years. I could be here for a decade."