Washington — One year ago, Rebecca Ferguson-Ondrey and Drew Ruby-Howe were abruptly terminated from their jobs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
They are among more than 300,000 workers to leave the federal government as part of cuts by the second Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Ferguson-Ondrey said she did not cope well in those initial days.
“There were a lot of tears, sitting my kids down and telling them that I had been fired from my job…That was really difficult to have those conversations,” Ferguson-Ondrey told CBS News.
But it was a personal conversation between Ferguson-Ondrey and Ruby-Howe that led to a breakthrough.
“We’d been through loss in our lives: lost our fathers at young ages,” Ruby-Howe said. “And so, we understood what grief looked like.”
And they noted the loss of their jobs marked a different kind of grief.
“I would say there’s something distinct about the dedication of the public service,” Ruby-Howe said.
“It’s career, and it’s identity, and it’s loss of mission,” Ferguson-Ondre said. “To lose all of that right in one fell swoop is devastating for so many folks.”
Within days of their firings, they launched WellFed, a new support group for fired federal workers.
“What started out as 20 former federal workers and contractors in a sponsored space, with pizza and a prayer, became now what is almost 5,000 members across the country,” Ruby-Howe disclosed.
A mostly volunteer group, WellFed has advocated for federal workers on Capitol Hill and hosted more than 100 in-person and virtual workshops to help people navigate their finances, build their resumes, and nurture their mental health.
So far, about 25% of their members have found new jobs.
“There’s been so much healing, you know, and lifting other people up, that has helped us heal,” Ferguson-Ondrey said of the grief journey so far.
Added Ruby-Howe: “People need this support every day, because every day is a big thing for people who haven’t quite found their way yet. So we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere.”