U.S. Representative Nikema Williams held a press conference in front of the IBEW 613 as she stood in solidarity with federal workers impacted by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firings. She also challenged the narrative of “efficiency” from Musk and Trump by pointing out that the cuts are not making America safer or healthier, but instead creating a traumatized and fearful federal workforce.
Williams highlighted individuals that are suffering from the Department of Government Efficiency aka DOGE. She told the assembled press she’s tired of Republicans, Donald Trump and Elon Musk playing in the faces of the American people.
“I am hearing from families every day who are afraid of what will happen if these actual cuts go through,” Williams said. “I’m going to tell all of my business right now: my mortgage is $2,800 a month. If I want to go into my family budget, I don’t wanna make massive cuts. I’m not going to cut it by cutting out one night of Uber Eats, because that one night of Hoover eats just does not add up to the $2,800 of my mortgage.
So if Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their Republican Party are serious about cutting trillions of dollars from our federal budget, there is no way to do that without looking at one of the biggest expenses in our federal budget, which is Medicaid. And I’m not going to stand by where our people’s lives and livelihoods are put on the line.”
DOGE’s Effects Hit Hard at Home
One of those constituents is Kenya Randall, a member of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She is a home care worker and has been in this profession since she was 18. It is her passion. While she passionately cares for many people over the years, Randall says her favorite recipient is her sister.
“My sister is 60 years of age,” Randall says. “She has schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depends on Medicaid to get the care she needs. She is served by the same Medicaid funded home agency that employs me, but wages are so low, barely $295 a week after taxes. And care workers leave all the time. That means my sister sees new faces, having to adjust without consent. So, I step up, not as a health care worker, but as her sister.”
Randall also says no one wins when America devalues healthcare.
“The choice will be devastating: either she goes without the support she needs, or she ends up in a nursing home,” Randall continued. And seeing firsthand how overwhelming the understaffed facilities are, no one wins when we devalue care.”
Regarding healthcare, approximately 1,300 CDC workers were fired by the Trump Administration. Among that number are new hires and contractors, causing chaos and confusion. The layoffs have disrupted critical public health functions, including disease surveillance and response, and threaten the stability of the public health workforce.
The Personal Side of the Valentine’s Day Massacre
Ryan Sloane and his wife Victoria highlighted the devastating effects of the Trump administration’s policies, including a round of mass firings which has the ignominious label of the “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” He told everyone he only showed up to the press conference because, “they cannot fire me twice.”
“No one is safer, no one is healthier,” Ryan Sloane said. “No one is greater for this. And now that I have a lot more time on my hands, I am going to fight tooth and nail every single day to make sure I get my job back and everyone else gets their job back. It is extremely disheartening and disappointing that a job that I worked so hard to get an eight month hiring and vetting process for a job I got to hold for seven weeks before I was fired by an anonymous email at 9pm in the middle of a holiday weekend.”
Victoria admitted that she and Ryan have struggled to start a family due to fertility issues. She shared she experienced two miscarriages and undergone three rounds of In-Vitro Fertilization, in an attempt to start a family. As Ryan stood by her side, Victoria expressed she was happy to speak to Congresswoman Williams.
“We’ve worked really hard to try to start a family, and it just seems like there’s a roadblock along the way,” Victoria Sloane shared. “I was so pleased when I spoke to one of her staffers last week on the phone. He spoke to us for nine minutes when I was just calling to talk about the bill’s for Medicaid and Medicare. And he asked, Is there anything else that you want to talk about? And I said, well, actually yes.”
What’s Next?
Saying “we told you so” to Trump voters only works for so long. Williams predicts Trump will use the State of the Union to simultaneously cast himself as a chaos agent and a savior. The Democrats must use this moment to cajole, court, and convince the inconsistent and swing voters that have buyer’s remorse before the 2026 Midterm Elections. Meanwhile, Williams vows to keep fighting for Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District.
“So we’ve got to make sure that we are standing up as a community to push back against this,” Williams says. “We’ve got to fight it in the Congress, in the courts, and in the community.”
