Hundreds of people, including health care workers and researchers, made their voices heard at a demonstration Wednesday afternoon outside the Department of Health and Human Services building.
They say the Trump administration’s layoffs and funding freezes will make the public less safe.
Some of those in attendance are now without jobs, and others are wondering if they could be next.
“It’s scary, and seeing your colleagues go is just devastating,” said Ian Fucci, a research fellow with the National Institutes of Health. “These people you’ve been working with for years, just gone, and those projects, those collaborations – just gone. It’s disorienting and it’s terrifying.”
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Demonstrators outside of HHS building were joined by Democratic lawmakers including Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who said he's concerned about what these firings mean for the future of medical research in the country.
“I’ve spoken to constituents who have been terminated because they’re on probation, and they’re on probation because they were promoted,” he said to demonstrators at the rally. “In other words, they’re terminated because they were just promoted because they were doing such a good job. That’s stupid.”
Demonstrators also spoke about their concerns over the fate of international scientists, whose futures in the country could be cut short if they lose their jobs.
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“The problem with that is if you are in one of the layoffs and you get cut out of your job, you lose a sponsorship that is mandatory, is a condition to come and have paperwork in this country to work,” said Jaime Eugenin Von Bernhardi, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University.
Demonstrators at another rally Wednesday evening marched to the D.C. office of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Wednesday evening protesting what they say is Musk's infiltration of the nation's government agencies.
Protests like these are not unique to the District; others were planned in New York City, LA, Detroit, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and Dallas.
