Welcome to Week in the Rearview, my weekly summary of everything I’ve published throughout the week. If you’re recieving this, it’s because you’ve subscribed via golikehellmachine.com. If you’d like to unsubscribe, there’s a link at the bottom that should make it easy, but if you have trouble, you can reach me through the site.

Let’s get into it.

DOGE IS FOUR LETTERS

This week, I talked with Jordan from US AID about their experience fighting disease overseas and how the changes to US AID may put people both abroad and at home at much greater risk, in ways that will be difficult to contain.

I talked with HW out on the west coast about their experience enlisted in the service, how those capabilities and that work environment led them into further federal service, and the dangers of running experienced veterans out of some of our most critical defense roles.

I talked with A about their role at the IRS, who were already experiencing some significant attrition as a result of planned retirement, and how DOGE’s cuts have accelerated that process.

And finally, I talked with LJ about working at HUD to help provide Americans with affordable housing, and the ways in which they worry that these cuts will set a number of critical efforts back, maybe by years.

WORK IS FOUR LETTERS

It wasn’t all doom and gloom this week, though; I’m back with a new WORK IS FOUR LETTERS, talking with Zeke about his experience as a public defender, and some of the ways the work is meaningful and gratifying. It was a great conversation, and I hope you’ll check it out.

NEXT WEEK

Next week, I’ll be back with more tales from the federal workforce, with a focus on stories from the environmental sector, and I’ll have another new WORK IS FOUR LETTERS.

Since this is the first newsletter edition, I’d love to hear your feedback. If you have suggestions for how to improve, please let me know here.

Until next week,

GOLIKEHELLMACHINE