In early May 2025, Michaela experienced a sudden, stabbing ache radiate from her hip while she bent over to tend to her garden. Then she fell over and was unable to rise.
Her husband summoned emergency services and she was admitted 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 didn’t clearly understand that it was part of my breast cancer that had metastasized to my spine, which I learned is common for it to go," she said.
"Should I pass away early, I cannot bear the thought of leaving [my husband] here. We really don’t have little family. We are without children of our own."
Following the victory in the 2024 election, her spouse braced to be mandated back into the office at the DOT in Washington DC. He had been teleworking since the beginning of the global pandemic, from their home outside Baltimore.
On Trump’s first day in office on 20 January, he issued requiring all federal agencies terminate all remote work arrangements. Federal personnel officials directed agencies to implement the policy irrespective of collective bargaining contracts.
"My spouse is a long-time employee with the administration, and he’s an expert in his field. He has worked for 20 years more now, so it is draining for him. We’re in our 50s. He was leaving the house at 5 a.m. in the morning and getting home at 7 p.m. at night," she stated. Her identity is protected as her husband still works at the Department of Transportation and is concerned about reprisal.
During the summer, Michaela had surgery, a laminectomy. A few weeks after that, she had targeted radiation therapy, and is now taking an oncology regimen called Kisqali and hormone therapy.
She was previously diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2014, but successfully treated it, due to early detection, with a partial lumpectomy, radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal medication. Through regular checkups, she stayed on top of it, prior to her recent diagnosis of advanced metastatic breast cancer.
Navigating Job Cuts and Reorganization
Over the past year, Michaela’s husband survived reductions in force at the Department of Transportation. By spring, thousands of employees had left the agency, due to the cuts as well as retirements and people quitting.
According to a memo on its plan for reductions in force and reorganization, the agency estimated that by December 31, 2025, its staffing levels would be reduced by approximately 20 percent from levels at the start of the year.
This would correlate to over ten thousand fewer employees at the department. Federal employee cuts have exceeded goals, with a significant number of workers leaving the government and only a fraction of replacements.
"We were concerned about layoffs. We understand based on the way things are operating, that this remains a constant threat because policies disregard established rules," Michaela explained.
She noted that specialized positions at the agency are hard to come by and contractors often want to pay lower salaries.
Enduring a Government Shutdown
As the Department of Transportation was shedding employees, on October 1st a shutdown of the U.S. government began, continuing for over a month, the most protracted in US history.
Michaela and her husband celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary in the fall, while the shutdown continued, but stayed at home because they couldn’t afford to dine out due to her husband going without a paycheck for multiple weeks.
She is relieved the federal closure ended as she was worried about medical bills, but laments 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 destitute. I was astonished, frightened, 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 getting depressed," she recounted.
A Personal Offense
"We are merely one example in a ocean of millions people who strive diligently to achieve their positions, who try to do the right thing, and the people who are making all the decisions are just ransacking and managing the government and treating federal workers like adversaries, that they are lesser citizens, and that they should be attacked. I find this personally offensive to that," she expressed.
A Looming Threat
She is now worried is a potential approaching government shutdown on 30 January 2026, with the vast majority of federal funds set to lapse again absent a permanent agreement.
"The temporary funding measure comes up for a vote again at the end of January and I am thinking this is going to happen once more. We have endured several shutdowns. This by far was the worst," she stated. "I’m already battling a life-threatening illness, and I am uncertain what the future holds. I could be here for another year or two. I could be here for 10 years."
