A line of employees Tuesday on Fishers Lane in North Bethesda, outside FDA and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offices.
It is going to take a couple of days before it is clear how many county residents lost their jobs Tuesday, County Executive Marc Elrich said.
Leaders spoke out Tuesday in response to the administration’s mass layoffs of federal health and human services employees, including workers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“This is not going to be easy, because we’ve never had to deal with these number of people suddenly being put out of work before,” Elrich said during a media briefing Wednesday.
He mentioned the new Mobilize Montgomery coalition supporting local businesses and employees affected by federal cuts. Nearly 300 job-seekers registered with Mobilize Montgomery in the first week of the initiative’s launch.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the county council will host the next meeting of its biweekly United in Service and Support series aimed at supporting the federal workforce.
Last month, County Council President Kate Stewart said more than 1,000 federal employees living in Montgomery County were estimated to have lost their jobs under the Trump administration. More than 77,000 federal employees were estimated to live in the county at the start of the administration.
On X (formerly known as Twitter), County Council Vice President Will Jawando stated Tuesday, “Absolutely disgraceful treatment of federal employees here in Rockville today. This is exactly why I introduced legislation to prioritize hiring displaced federal employees into County government roles. Here in Montgomery County, we stand up for our own.”
Councilmember Andrew Friedson stated, “The latest draconian actions to abruptly cut over 10,000 federal agency employees including 3,500 at FDA & hundreds at NIH is devastating to the public servants who’ve dedicated their lives to promoting public health and serving our country and community.”
Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles stated Wednesday, “These cuts aren’t just statistics; they represent real individuals with families, mortgages and responsibilities, now forced to confront an uncertain future. These unjust reductions threaten the fabric of our society.”
Councilmember Evan Glass stated, “These unprecedented actions are a threat to the health and wellbeing of our community.” He stated in an email message, “National politics are Montgomery County politics.”
Related Post:
Leaders Respond to Mass Layoffs at Health Agencies in County
