Washington — Last month, Katie Sandlin left her home in Carbon Hill, Alabama, a small town of 2,000, to accept a position at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, just outside of Washington, D.C.
“I drained my savings, maxed out my credit cards, and took out a loan,” Sandlin recounted to CBS News.
Nonetheless, she described her role as an education outreach specialist as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to educate communities about NIH research.
“For people like me, from rural Alabama, jobs like these are rare,” Sandlin shared. “My whole town was cheering for me.”
However, just three weeks later, before she even had the chance to fully unpack in her new D.C. apartment, Sandlin became part of the thousands of federal probationary employees let go as a result of President Trump’s initiatives to shrink the federal workforce.
Probationary employees typically have less than a year of experience, and in some instances, less than two years. They possess fewer safeguards against layoffs, making them more susceptible to termination.
“Now, I’m without a job, deep in debt, and I’m also at risk of losing my health insurance, which is particularly concerning as I, like many Americans, have a chronic condition requiring medication,” Sandlin explained, adding that the notion of being fired “never crossed my mind.”
Sandlin noted that her supervisors “made it clear that my termination was not a result of any shortcomings on my part.”
An official from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH, sent Sandlin a letter stating, in part: “Regrettably, the Agency determines that you are not fit for continued employment due to a misalignment of your abilities, knowledge, and skills with the Agency’s current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to warrant further employment.”
Receiving that letter deeply disturbed Sandlin, as she felt it lacked honesty. “My boss, her boss, and even his boss all indicated that this assertion was false,” she said.
The CBS News Data Team revealed that at the Veterans Health Administration, which operates the healthcare program for veterans, probationary employees constitute 30% of the workforce.
At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, probationary employees represent 19% of the division responsible for food safety inspections, while 29% of staff at the Transportation Security Administration are in probationary roles, according to CBS News.
To date, approximately 2,000 probationary workers at the NIH have lost their positions.
“We matter, and we perform significant work,” Sandlin stated. “We’re making an impact. If you have questions or concerns regarding federal employees, don’t hesitate to ask one.”
