In photos: Boulder joins nationwide protests against sweeping federal job cuts

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Department of Commerce building in Boulder on Feb. 19 to oppose mass federal layoffs under the Trump administration. The cuts primarily targeted probationary workers — those in their first one to two years on the job — who have fewer employment protections. 

Boulder Reporting Lab has heard from several residents who lost their jobs over the weekend. Some were the sole breadwinners for their families, while others now worry about affording their homes. The extent of the cuts in Boulder remains unclear.

If you were impacted by the federal layoffs, let us know in our anonymous survey.

The layoffs have hit at least a dozen agencies, including the Forest Service, Department of Energy, Office of Veterans Affairs and the Food and Drug Administration. Protesters expressed outrage over the firings and their potential effect on government services.

“To indiscriminately fire people and defund programs that are vital to the protection of human health and the environment — whether it’s the food we eat, the drugs we take, the use of forest lands and national parks — it’s terrible policy,” said Peter Ornstein, a retired Environmental Protection Agency lawyer. “It’s going to set us back in so many ways.” 

Several dozen people attended the protest, with more cycling in and out. One protester held a sign reading “Honk for civil servants,” drawing supportive honks and waves from passing drivers. Several demonstrators were retired federal employees. Others were contractors who work closely with federal agencies in Boulder, but declined to be named, fearing retribution. 

Steve, a retired postal worker who did not provide his last name, said he came to support federal workers, calling them “so important.” Though postal workers were exempt from the layoffs, he worried about what’s ahead. “They’ll come for us next,” he said.

Wendy Abshire, who worked for 35 years at NCAR — mostly in federally funded programs  through NOAA — said she was “aghast” at the scale of the cuts and feared their broader implications.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “I’m running out of bad superlatives.”

Her sister-in-law, Angela Teegardin, also attended. Teegardin, who grew up in Boulder, said her father dedicated his career to NOAA. 

“Our dad helped set up the original Doppler radar all over the country,” she said. “Boulder was founded on science. We grew up with science — with NOAA and NCAR and NIST. It helped build this community. So to see these cuts, it’s so disheartening.”

The protest was part of a nationwide movement organized by the Federal Unionists Network, an informal group of federal unionists and allies. Demonstrations took place in dozens of cities, including Denver, Salt Lake City, New York, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.

“There are a lot of people in Boulder who are affected,” said Meg Tilton, a developer at CIRES, a climate and environmental research partnership between CU and NOAA, and the protest’s organizer. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who would like to participate, but they’re worried.” 

Tilton, who had never organized a protest before, was unsure how many people would come. But looking around at the the crowd, she was encouraged.

“I’m really happy so many people showed up,” she said.