'A real shame': Former Marine says DOGE cuts tell veterans they’re 'dead weight or a burden' on US

Former and current federal employees are still reeling from dramatic layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency. Doug Jackson, a veteran of the Marines, lost his probationary job doing public affairs at the Internal Revenue Service. The firings of thousands of workers at the IRS could potentially put tax filings in jeopardy. Jackson shared his experience with CNN’s Brianna Keilar on Monday.

“Federal government is a natural fit for a lot of veterans,” he said. “One of the first things you do when you become a civil servant is you raise your right hand and take the oath to support and defend the Constitution, and that's something that we all did when we wore the uniform. And I think it's an extension of our military service to continue serving in the federal government and looking out for the public interest.”

The firings, he said, are “not good on a personal level."

"It puts people's livelihood in jeopardy," Jackson said. "It turns their lives upside down. And so now they have to figure out how they're going to pay their bills, and now they have a new job, which is applying and networking. And so on an individual level, it's turning lives upside down with uncertainty.”

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“But also on a larger scale, for an agency like the IRS, they need public affairs officers,” he added. “They need people who are expert communicators, who can reach the public in a meaningful way and explain new policies and even speak to the workforce. And so… it's going to have a negative effect. I can't imagine cutting people like me or anyone really across the IRS or the federal government is going to help the mission.”

Johnson mentioned that his coworker, a disabled veteran, was also fired. “What message does that send firing folks like that to the veteran community?” Keilar asked.

“I think the mass wave of fire of federal employees who have been fired by DOGE… sends two messages,” he said. “One, you know, it's telling veterans, ‘thank you for your service, but that's not enough. The government is in debt, and we also need to take your job.’ So that's one. And the second thing that I think it's telling veterans is that you are part of the problem, not the solution. And it suggests that as veterans working for the federal government, that we are somehow dead weight or a burden on the government. And I think that's a real shame.”

Keilar asked whether firings of workers at the IRS could have an impact on tax returns.

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“I'm not sure,” Johnson said. “I mean, I wasn't an agent. I worked with others who were. I can't imagine that this is going to have a positive effect on turnaround time for returns. But like you said, there are other agencies affected, and the federal government already has a difficult time recruiting, retaining their workers, and so this is going to have a discouraging effect across the workforce.”

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