Susan Duran is one of thousands of federal workers who have been waking up each morning wondering if they still have a job.
The Old Fourth Ward resident is an economist for the federal government who works downtown. On Monday, she described the fear felt by employees in Atlanta and across the country as President Donald Trump’s administration orders major cuts across agencies.
“Federal employees have been under attack,” Duran said during public comment at an Atlanta City Council meeting on Monday. “We were pressured to resign. Hundreds have been fired. Our union contracts are being trampled.
“I don’t know if I’m going to have my job tomorrow when I log on,” she added.
The looming threat of spiked unemployment in the city has Atlanta’s leaders on edge — not only about the future for laid-off residents but also the potential negative impacts to the economy.
The Atlanta City Council passed a resolution Monday that asks the city of Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb counties and the state of Georgia to expedite hiring processes for individuals impacted by the layoffs.
“We are dealing with massive layoffs at the federal government in real time,” said council member Jason Dozier, who introduced the legislation. “Many of the federal employees that call Atlanta home have been so critical to our local economies.”
The resolution points to major federal agencies in the city, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Atlanta VA Health Care System. The CDC alone is expected to lose 10% of its workforce.
“I’m afraid that this will create a recession-type environment — particularly for trying to revitalize downtown,” he said. “We’re trying to revitalize neighborhoods, and these mass layoffs will have a tremendous impact, disproportionately impacting our city.”
The resolution also points to the layoffs as an opportunity for the city and other local governments to bolster their workforces with highly skilled and experienced employees who find themselves out of work.
It was passed by the City Council unanimously under immediate consideration.
The cuts at the CDC are part of a sweep of federal agencies by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency that has worked quickly to reduce the size of the federal government.
“CDC staff are heroes, even though they aren’t being treated like it right now,” said state Rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta. “We are all at risk if the CDC is gutted. Why are the leaders of this state silent while Elon Musk makes Georgians less safe?”
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