Dozens of former federal workers and concerned citizens gathered at the state Capitol’s west steps on Tuesday to urge state officials to support those affected by ongoing and upcoming federal cuts and layoffs.
“This experience of suddenly being terminated, along with thousands of people across America, has forced many of us to reflect on something deeper, how fragile our country feels right now and how uncertain our paths are going forward,” said Susan Abbott, a recently fired federal worker for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which oversees humanitarian, development and security programs in about 120 countries.
Abbott said she spent the past 25 years working in international development, most recently with the USAID Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Governance.
“We truly are at an inflection point as a country, and the safety net that we thought would be there is fraying, frankly, for many of us, it doesn’t even exist,” she said.
The rally comes in response to recent layoffs of federal workers and budget cuts across various government sectors under President Donald Trump’s administration, including the February dismantling of USAID.
Trump, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and Congressional Republicans have targeted the U.S. foreign assistance program with accusations of waste and advancing liberal social programs.
Several attendees at the rally stood outside in the rain as their peers took turns sharing their experiences.
Terrill Kucera, a former USAID subcontractor who has worked in international development for 15 years, told the crowd that they shouldn’t be here today.
“We should be working, filling the commitment we made to the American people and the communities we were serving. But instead, we’re unemployed, uninsured, and asking for basic support from our state because of reckless and short-sighted federal cuts,” he said.
Kucera said when layoffs hit USAID, everything stopped without warning. There were no payments for work completed in November and December of last year and projects that had taken years to build were abruptly abandoned.
“My salary was cut by 70% in the first week, and I had to make one of the worst professional calls of my life, which was laying off my entire team, six professionals, six families,” he said.
By March 4, Kucera said he was officially laid off. The next day he applied for unemployment but his account was flagged for fraud and put on hold with no explanation.
“I called dozens of times. One day, I called 40 times, no hold system, no answers. Thanks to the help of Senator Bennett’s office, I did get an appointment at the local office, but even there, no one can help me,” he said.
“As of today, it’s been 62 days since I applied for unemployment and I’ve received no benefits. At the end of the month, I’m leaving my apartment in Congress Park because I can’t afford to stay there for the first time in over 15 years. I’ll be moving into a friend’s spare bedroom.”
Since the stop work order was issued, Abbott said Coloradans affected by the cuts have come together every Tuesday at the Posner Center for International Development in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood to strategize what can be done. She said their Colorado network of international development professionals, many of whom attended the rally, now includes more than 250 people.
“That’s hundreds of Coloradans who are suddenly unemployed, terminated for convenience, despite serving as agricultural experts, humanitarian workers, scientists, aid professionals, human rights advocates, researchers and diplomats,” Abbott said.
Those at the rally like Abbott and Kucera urged lawmakers to press the bureaucracy to fast-track unemployment benefits and extend unemployment eligibility.
Following the rally, attendees were invited into the Capitol, where Democratic State Sens. Matt Ball, Judy Amabile and James Coleman addressed the crowd, assuring both former and current workers of their ongoing support.
“I’m devastated by what’s happening, on a human level, as members of our community, my heart goes out to you.” said Ball, who offered to host a town hall to discuss federal worker layoffs and Colorado unemployment.
“Just know we are laser focused on trying to protect Colorado in the face of the federal government.”
Americans are divided over Trump’s and DOGE’s mass firings, as a CBS News and YouGov poll conducted in February revealed that 51% of respondents approve of the staff cuts, while 49% disapprove.
“We’re cutting down the size of government. We have to,” Trump said during the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. “We’re bloated. We’re sloppy. We have a lot of people that aren’t doing their job.”
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