I'm a federal employee watching colleagues get laid off by DOGE. It's been devastating — we aren't cogs, we're human beings.

• 02/14/2025, 4:07 AM
• businessinsider.com

Crispin la valiente/Getty, DNY59/Getty, Tyler Le/BI

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ed Welch, the 64-year-old president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2058 and an employee at Independence Historical Park in Philadelphia. The following has been edited for length and clarity.