Gov’t Stories – Featured Community Engagement At 67 yrs old in 2020, I was hunkered down in Palm Springs, CA, trying to apply for retirement benefits. I had worked for 50 yrs and the SSA website didn’t appear to know I existed. The SSA offices were closed and their employees were taking calls from home. An employee from the El Centro office answered my call and did his job! It was a scary time for everyone in the world. He methodically reviewed my work record and my ex-husband's to determine the best way to proceed to claim my benefit. It gave me hope that the world would continue. I looked up the address for the El Centro office and mailed him a thank you note. Most recently at 72 yrs old, the Windfall Elimination Provision was repealed by Congress and I received notice that I would now be eligible to receive the full amount of Social Security benefits that I was entitled to. My brother received the same notice and received his back pay and monthly adjustment promptly. However, after several calls to Social Security, they explained that my case was more complicated and would possibly take 6 months to process. With DOGE decimating the government, I feared it would never happen. I remembered what my brother always told me, " Call your Senator!" I called Mazie Hirono's office and they contacted SSA. My backpay was deposited the next day with a monthly increase in benefits to follow. It almost doubled my benefit and living in Hawaii, I felt like I could be comfortable in Paradise for my remaining years! I shared the good news with my best friend since high school and she said her husband thought he should be eligible for an increase in benefits, too. I encouraged them to make an appointment with Social Security and he found out he was also eligible for back pay and an increase in monthly benefits! Thanks to all the public servants at the Social Security Administration and Senator Hirono's office that did their job and provided service to us!" Paula, Hawaii Workforce Engagement I was a probationary revenue officer employee with the IRS in Portland, Oregon, hired in July 2024. I was enthusiastic about the position. I took the oath with great seriousness and pride. I believed strongly that I could make a positive difference for our country. I was let go on Feb. 20, 2025, and told ""Taking into account your performance, your continued employment at the agency is not in the public interest.” While serving as a revenue officer, I have only received positive feedback on my performance. I never had the opportunity to undergo an official performance review. The impact upon me and my family is substantial. I am recovering from sudden cancer surgery and was on medical leave when I was fired. My family relies on me. We are now struggling to figure out next steps. This careless and inhumane action by the current administration is completely without merit or integrity. To tell devoted civil servants without proof that their performance is inadequate is an injustice. Mathew Bellingham, Oregon Community Engagement "My family and I travel by plane a lot, and I thank God for the federal workers who perform one of the most stressful jobs there is: ensuring every safe takeoff and landing. I am grateful to the federal workers who safely guided planes to the ground on 9/11 and to those in every airport who help us reach our work, our homes and our families safely. I appreciate the federal workers in airport control towers nationwide who operate around the clock, in all weather conditions, within a highly challenged infrastructure. Everyone and everything that flies—commercial planes, private aircraft, as well as presidential and military flights—depends on them. Thank you! And an enormous THANK YOU to all our federal workers! " Robin, "New Hampshire " Workforce Engagement I am a former Department of Agriculture federal employee, working out of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, who was terminated Feb. 18. I was a smuggling interdiction trade and compliance officer. I went to commerce markets to provide outreach on USDA import regulations, to ensure imported products had proper import documentation and to look for prohibited products. Typically products are prohibited or are regulated items requiring certain documentation because of diseases and pests from other countries, such as bird flu, foot and mouth disease, African swine fever, citrus canker, the khapra beetle, invasive fruit flies, federally noxious weeds and more. I am confused because bird flu is a huge concern and risk. There are no words to describe the stress, fear and heartbreak from the past few weeks. In less than two hours my career with USDA came to a stop. I was heartbroken when I realized my career had come to an end and had no warning I would be terminated." Sawyer, New York Human Services In 2021, I lost my home in a fire. FEMA came to our disaster center to provide help. The woman from FEMA sat me down, explained the system and how to apply, and then complimented me on my hair. Such a strange, small thing. But she reminded me in a desperate moment that I was more than the disaster that had happened to me. I spoke and emailed with so many people from the SBA. I was always struck by how overworked everyone at that agency seemed. Yet, each individual was polite and kind. It was a difficult process to navigate, but I am grateful for all the people who patiently helped me do it. I am sitting in the new home you helped me build. I know too that their were people at HUD, whose names I’ll never know, that worked behind the scenes to get the CDBG to our state to help us finish our recovery. I am so ashamed to be a part of a country that is treating our workers this way. As a citizen, I want to say: You matter. You make a difference. Thank you for your service. Kelly, Colorado Workforce Engagement Public servants show up every day and make government work for the people of this country, often under a high level of scrutiny. With limited resources and in an environment where we are frequently used as pawns in partisan politics, we cut through the noise and get the job done. Without us, the country simply would not function. I chose a career in public service because serving the American public is an honor. The American taxpayers trust me to be a good steward of the resources they allocate to my agency, and I take that trust seriously. I'm also a problem solver by nature. Public servants are constantly asked to "do more with less," and rather than becoming frustrated by those limitations, I embrace the challenge. Ashley, Maryland Workforce Engagement I was raised in a Southern home where my mother instilled in me the importance of serving others—a value that has stayed with me throughout my life. Whether it's by monitoring colleagues, lending an ear, mediating conflicts, or fostering partnerships, I find immense fulfillment in helping others. This sense of service was further nurtured by my high school government and civics teacher, Ms. Mary Lott-Walker, who recognized the “servant-leader” qualities in me and encouraged me to use my influence to create positive change. Inspired by her guidance, I’ve built my career around the five P’s of my leadership philosophy: people-oriented, public-service, problem-solving, productivity, and professionalism. Throughout my career, I’ve always strived to treat every member of the public with courtesy and decency, ensuring that the work I do each day meets the standards of a highly trained, professional public servant. My work at the Social Security Administration has been a true reflection of these principles. And, in the words of the late Secretary of State Colin Powell, “All work is honorable—always do your best because someone is watching.” I remain committed to serving others in every role I take on. John, Virginia Veterans I joined the VA in Washington, D.C., as a college graduate on the advice of my roommate who was from the area. Now, on June 13, I will celebrate 41 years of dedicated public service at the Veterans Health Administration. America is a melting pot of so many people from many parts of the world. Our country provides many services and benefits, so it is extremely important that as a public servant, we serve our customers with excellence and compassion. I promise to do so in my job at the VA, and I pray that others extend the same to me when I use the services provided. Deborah, North Carolina