Hanna Hickman, a recently terminated employee of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), shared her tumultuous experience with ABC News. Over the last four days, Hickman described the situation as a "roller coaster" of emotions.
"It's scary," said Hickman, who was fired last Tuesday. "I had a real moment -- I was at CVS the other day, and it kind of came on me all at once that I might not have health insurance in a few weeks. That really hits you. It underscores the fact that we're just regular, middle-class people, just like the people we're trying to serve."
Hickman, who served as a senior litigation counsel for the Division of Enforcement at the CFPB in Washington, D.C., was among thousands of mostly new employees, known as probationary workers, who were laid off this week across the federal government. These recent hires joined the federal workforce within the last one to two years, depending on the agency, and have fewer protections.
Hickman, a probationary hire who had been with the CFPB for just under two years, was shocked to receive her termination notice via her phone at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
"It was shocking, frankly -- not just to us but to our direct managers, who had not been told this would happen and received notice of the terminations at the same time we did because they were CC'd," Hickman told ABC News.
The mass layoffs have affected scores of federal employees, including those at the Department of Education, the CFPB, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other agencies. Last Tuesday felt surreal to Hickman, as employees were informed over the weekend that they could not show up to work in person. Her belongings remain inside the bureau.
"It's really a shock," she said. "Especially for a lawyer, because we have professional obligations. I have a case that I'm currently litigating for the bureau, and all of a sudden, I'm cut off from our systems. It's the equivalent of being escorted out of the building and fired. It's absolutely shocking, especially when there have been no concerns about my performance during my time at the bureau."
Hickman hasn't been inside the CFPB in over a week since a significant event on Friday, Feb. 7, when Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency descended on the CFPB headquarters. That day, Musk posted on X: "CFPB RIP."
"We're under attack by billionaires, but I'm not a billionaire, so for me, the next steps are scary. I'm trying to stay focused and work productively, but it's a scary moment," Hickman said.
Hickman believes Musk is attempting to dismantle the agency established by Congress. However, she and several of her former colleagues are determined to continue fighting, exploring all available legal options. "Civil servants do this work to fight for regular Americans," she said. "That's what the job is. That's why it's intended to be insulated from partisan swings."
The CFPB is responsible for safeguarding the public from financial market crashes, loan schemes, and increased interest rates. "Donald Trump and Elon Musk can just call their lawyers," Hickman said. "But regular people don't have a lawyer they can call. These agencies are intended to fill that gap and keep people safe. For me, this was a calling."
With 15 years of private practice experience before joining the CFPB, Hickman found this role incredibly fulfilling until her termination. "It was something that I felt really passionate about doing in this next phase of my career," she added.
Earlier this week, ABC News spoke with several other federal government probationary employees who had been fired through notices citing performance issues. Chelsea Wilburn, a disabled veteran, was terminated from the Department of Education via a memo that lacked specific reasons.
"I was definitely upset," Wilburn told ABC News. "I've only ever gotten positive feedback from my team and leadership, so I was pretty surprised to get that email."
Another former Federal Student Aid probationary hire at the Department of Education received an unexpected call from a supervisor who was crying. The supervisor informed them about their termination.
The former employee described the situation as devastating, expressing uncertainty about future employment and financial stability. "It was heartbreaking," they said. "When I went up to my computer, it was already locked down. I couldn't access anything. I'm still trying to reach out to HR to find out about severance packages and health insurance benefits. Nobody knows anything."
Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.
