Coloradans rally at state capitol against federal cuts and layoffs

Dozens of former federal workers and concerned citizens gathered at the state Capitol s west procedures on Tuesday to urge state bureaucrats to advocacy those affected by ongoing and upcoming federal cuts and layoffs This experience of suddenly being terminated along with thousands of people across America has forced several of us to reflect on something deeper how fragile our country feels right now and how uncertain our paths are going forward revealed Susan Abbott a in the last few days fired federal worker for the U S Agency for International Progress which oversees humanitarian enhancement and guard programs in about countries Abbott commented she spent the past years working in international expansion the greater part lately with the USAID Bureau for Democracy Human Rights and Governance We truly are at an inflection point as a country and the safety net that we thought would be there is fraying frankly for a large number of of us it doesn t even exist she explained The rally comes in response to modern layoffs of federal workers and budget cuts across various regime sectors under President Donald Trump s administration including the February dismantling of USAID Trump Elon Musk s Department of Establishment Efficiency and Congressional Republicans have targeted the U S foreign assistance scheme with accusations of waste and advancing liberal social programs Several attendees at the rally stood outside in the rain as their peers took turns sharing their experiences Terrill Kucera a former USAID subcontractor who has worked in international advance for years reported the crowd that they shouldn t be here in the current era We should be working filling the commitment we made to the American people and the communities we were serving But instead we re unemployed uninsured and asking for basic aid from our state because of reckless and short-sighted federal cuts he revealed Kucera revealed when layoffs hit USAID everything stopped without warning There were no payments for work completed in November and December of last year and projects that had taken years to build were abruptly abandoned My salary was cut by in the first week and I had to make one of the worst professional calls of my life which was laying off my entire band six professionals six families he stated By March Kucera announced he was officially laid off The next day he applied for unemployment but his account was flagged for fraud and put on hold with no explanation I called dozens of times One day I called times no hold system no answers Thanks to the help of Senator Bennett s office I did get an appointment at the local office but even there no one can help me he declared As of in the current era it s been days since I applied for unemployment and I ve received no benefits At the end of the month I m leaving my apartment in Congress Park because I can t afford to stay there for the first time in over years I ll be moving into a friend s spare bedroom Amy Aberra a global physical condition strategist with USAID who is on administrative leave from the agency speaks to a limited dozen people who braved the cold temperatures and driving rain to take part in a rally on the west attempts of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on May Photo by Helen H Richardson The Denver Post Since the stop work order was issued Abbott revealed Coloradans affected by the cuts have come together every Tuesday at the Posner Center for International Evolution in Denver s Five Points neighborhood to strategize what can be done She mentioned their Colorado setup of international progress professionals numerous of whom attended the rally now includes more than people That s hundreds of Coloradans who are suddenly unemployed terminated for convenience despite serving as agricultural experts humanitarian workers scientists aid professionals human rights advocates researchers and diplomats Abbott noted Those at the rally like Abbott and Kucera urged lawmakers to press the bureaucracy to fast-track unemployment benefits and extend unemployment eligibility Following the rally attendees were invited into the Capitol where Democratic State Sens Matt Ball Judy Amabile and James Coleman addressed the crowd assuring both former and current workers of their ongoing promotion Related Articles National Renewable Vigor Laboratory lays off employees in Golden Union goes on strike at Lockheed Martin after rejecting contract offer Resource park in mix for what should replace Xcel s last coal plant in state Denver Fire Department won t train new firefighters EMTs this year Denver-area small businesses deal with ever-changing tariffs uncertainty I m devastated by what s happening on a human level as members of our locality my heart goes out to you stated Ball who offered to host a town hall to discuss federal worker layoffs and Colorado unemployment Just know we are laser focused on trying to protect Colorado in the face of the federal regime Americans are divided over Trump s and DOGE s mass firings as a CBS News and YouGov poll conducted in February revealed that of respondents approve of the staff cuts while disapprove We re cutting down the size of regime We have to Trump stated during the first Cabinet meeting of his second term We re bloated We re sloppy We have a lot of people that aren t doing their job Get more business news by signing up for our Market Now newsletter