Katia Wanish

“Pawn in a billionaire’s game”: A federal worker shares her story

March 10, 2025

There’s been a whole lot happening in recent months as Donald Trump has returned to office as president, and Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has begun to take a wrecking ball to various federal agencies, making drastic cuts to the federal workforce. 

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is helping tell the stories of real people directly impacted by these layoffs. Barnes sat down with Katia Wanish, who until recently was a wetlands engineer at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which is part of the USDA. She shared her story with Barnes in this special edition of The Recombobulation Area podcast.

Listen to the episode as a podcast, or watch the full video of their conversation here.

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