Thousands of federal workers have been laid off in recent weeks. In Michigan that includes employees from the VA hospital, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Forest Service. These layoffs are a result of President Trump’s initiative to cut federal spending.
Emily Davies, a reporter for the Washington Post has been covering the impact of the Department of Government Efficiency—commonly referred to as DOGE—on federal agencies. In her latest article, Davies tells the story of Riley Cooper, a Trump supporter who was laid off from the U.S. Forest Service.
Early career
Cooper, 24, lives in Baldwin, and grew up in rural Michigan. “She took a real liking to the outdoors,” Davies shared. “To spending time learning about nature and the way that it interacts with different climates and environments, and it just became a real passion of hers.”
Her love for nature inspired Cooper to intern at the U.S. Forest Service, where she also met her husband. Alongside her work at the U.S. Forest Service, Cooper was also pursuing a master’s degree in Forestry. However, her recent termination poses significant challenges for her career after graduation.
“She sunk a lot of money into it,” Davies explained. “Because when she has the degree, and if she were still in the federal workforce, she would have been eligible for a promotion.”
In her previous position, Cooper earned approximately $39,000 a year, with a potential promotion that could have increased her salary to $80,000. With the prospect of such a promotion, Cooper had been planning to start her own family.
“Riley always wanted to be a mom,” Davies said. “It's been a really guiding light, sort of reaching a point in her life when she feels emotionally and financially ready for that, and she was getting really close.” Now, Cooper's plans for the future have been put on hold following her recent termination.
Swing voter
Cooper identifies as a swing voter and cast her ballot for former President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. However, in 2024, she chose to vote for Donald Trump.
According to Davies, Cooper was not a fan of how Trump spoke about women. As a sexual assault survivor, she disapproved of his record regarding women's issues, and she resonated with the version of America that Biden was presenting.
“But the last four years were more complicated than that,” Davies shared.
In their efforts to start a family, Cooper and her husband purchased their first home. However, managing high mortgage payments, rising grocery prices, and the challenges of trying to have children became overwhelming.
“She has endometriosis and other conditions,” Davies explained. “That make infertility more likely, and so they're looking at IVF as a real possibility, and that's really expensive.”
During a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Cooper heard Trump promise that he would make IVF treatment free for people like her.
“And ultimately, it was that speech and that promise that made her vote for Trump,” Davies shared.
However, after working a nine-hour shift at the U.S. Forest Service, where she carried nearly 30 pounds of paint on her back to mark trees, Cooper received a text from her union representative warning that probationary employees were about to be laid off. The next day, she discovered that she had been terminated.
Feeling deeply conflicted about the events leading to her dismissal and the disruption of her future plans, Cooper hoped to share her story to raise awareness about the impact of federal spending cuts on individuals like herself.
“The country understands the impacts of this administration, and why people initially believed in him,” Davies said. “So she [Cooper] really got outside of herself in a way that I think is quite impressive, and decided that sharing her story was worth the personal risk.”
Cadillac, Michigan
Marie Richards was laid off in mid-February from her job as a tribal relations specialist with the Huron-Manistee National Forests.
Richards, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, worked as its historic preservation and repatriation specialist before taking the Forest Service job in December of 2023. She was one of thousands of probationary U.S. Forest Service workers laid off as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut costs and reduce the size of the federal government.
That story came from Interlochen Public Radio climate reporter Izzy Ross.
Hear the full conversation with Washington Post reporter, Emily Davies, plus reporting from IPR's Izzy Ross on the Stateside podcast.
Background reading:
She hoped Trump’s victory would change her life, but not like this
U.S. Forest Service firings decimate already understaffed agency: ‘It’s catastrophic’