With the stroke of a pen, Chenoa O’Neil’s dream job disappeared.
“For just one minute (for the job) to be happening and then the next it’s gone … it’s very unfair and it’s unfortunate to be in this position,” she said.
She’s a single mother of two living in Utah and studying to become a lawyer. Earlier this month, she applied for a federal work study position with the Social Security Administration that would allow her to make more cash while she’s in school.
“From what I have been told — or what was communicated to me — was that the SSA is very understaffed right now,” O’Neil said.
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Her interviews went so well she was hired on the spot.
But shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating a hiring freeze on civilian federal employees, she was told the offer was on hold.
“To say I'm disappointed would be a huge understatement, because, like, I just had the rug pulled from underneath me,” O’Neil said.
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According to the executive order from the president, the point of the hiring freeze is to reduce the size of the federal government workforce.
Some local Democratic lawmakers say the order will cause major harm.
“I am also gravely concerned about what we’ve seen so far – I see as targeting of federal employees,” said U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md. “It should be really clear that these are dedicated, hardworking civil servants.”
The order also states three government agencies, including the Trump administration’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, will submit a plan to reduce the federal workforce within 90 days.
Because of that, O’Neil worries there won’t be a position for her when the freeze is over. She plans to find a new way to support her family.
“(I want) to put a voice and a face to this story and be able to show people this is how it's impacting people in such a negative way,” O’Neil said. “It's not simply about, ‘Hey, we need to make the government smaller,’ or we need to, you know, stop putting money here and there and whatever. This is affecting a real person who has real bills.”
The hiring freeze order does not apply to members of the military or positions related to immigration enforcement, national security or public safety.
