Tens of thousands of federal employees have accepted buyout offers, been placed on leave or fired as part of the Trump administration’s initiative to reduce the government workforce. According to an analysis by the New York Times, approximately 75,000 federal employees have accepted buyouts, and at least 56,230 have been laid off.
Montana has not been immune to the cuts, where, as of last year, more than 10,000 people were employed by the federal government. Earlier this year, 360 U.S. Forest Service employees across the state were laid off and then temporarily reinstated by the federal Merit Systems Protection Board.
More recently, about two dozen employees were let go from the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, which is part of an effort by DOGE to eliminate 20,000 jobs from the Department of Health and Human Services, including 1,200 from the National Institutes of Health, which oversees the lab in Hamilton. The laboratory, established in 1928, employs approximately 450 people who research infectious diseases.
On April 4, all six members of the Hamilton City Council signed letters to the directors of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, urging federal leaders to proceed with caution. The letters emphasized that the Bitterroot National Forest and Rocky Mountain Laboratories provide well-paying jobs and that any job losses in such a small community would profoundly impact Hamilton.
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In the letter to federal health officials, the council also expressed concerns about safety at the infectious disease lab if the workforce were reduced. In both instances, city officials conveyed their hope that the federal government would collaborate with them to ensure that any cuts made were truly warranted.
“Please note that we do not object to government actions to prevent fraud and abuse and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government,” the six city councilors wrote. “That said, it is important that action addressing these issues occur in an informed and transparent manner. This is especially true when missteps in addressing them have the potential for safety and economic consequences for your neighbors in the Bitterroot Valley.”
During the 2024 presidential election, 68% of Ravalli County, which includes Hamilton, voted for Donald Trump.
Dr. Kim J. Hasenkrug, a retired scientist who spent 31 years at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, told Montana Free Press that at last count, 41 people have left the facility in Hamilton over the last few months through layoffs and early retirements. He also said that the entire purchasing department had been let go, putting experiments at risk if scientists can’t get the right supplies for their work. He said even using a different type of test tube on an experiment halfway through can affect the results.
“This is causing a lot of stress and turmoil,” he said. “The whole thing is a mess.”
Watch related coverage: Ravalli County residents speak out over firing of local federal employees
The letters from the city council were also sent to Montana’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for Sen. Steve Daines stated that he was working with the White House to ensure personnel were in place at the U.S. Forest Service “to protect our lands and our outdoor way of life.” Daines declined to comment on the cuts made to Rocky Mountain Laboratories. A spokesperson for Sen. Tim Sheehy provided a similar statement.
“As the administration works to rein in spending, eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and deliver government services more efficiently, Senator Sheehy is committed to working with our federal partners to ensure cost-saving measures are targeted responsibly and the critical frontline resources and services Montanans rely on are protected,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to MTFP.
Representatives for Rep. Ryan Zinke did not respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published by Montana Free Press at montanafreepress.org.
