Her struggle is not just personal. For decades, the federal government has helped build the Black middle class, offering a relative refuge from pay discrimination by providing transparent wage scales and codified rules on hiring and promotions. But the second trump administration has sought to significantly reduce that workforce through mass firings and repeated offers to resign. Government agencies have abandoned work they have historically undertaken and, in many cases, are being redirected to further trump’s priorities — from mass deportation to pursuing his political rivals — a shift that has forced many to leave their posts. These actions, done in the name of cutting costs, as well as promoting trump’s agenda, have saved little money.