HAMILTON — Over 100 people gathered at Hamilton Middle School to voice their concerns over the Trump administration’s decisions to fire hundreds of thousands of federal employees.
Hamilton is home to Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a National Institute of Health facility, and is also a hub for U.S. Forest Service workers throughout the Bitterroot.
Residents showed up at the Hamilton City Council meeting to show support for local federal workers who were recently been fired by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The meeting was moved to the middle school to accommodate the number of people who were expected to attend.
Watch the full story:
The message from those who showed up was clear: a discontentment with the actions being taken by the Trump administration.
“Federal employees who live, work, raise families in Ravalli County are people who care about and contribute to our rural quality of life," one resident said. "They serve all of us citizens here and they boost all of our economy here,” said one resident.
“The uncertainty, whether the jobs are lost or not, that's costing revenue in this community today," another resident said at the meeting. "At the moment, there's not enough confidence to say, hey, I'm going to go into town and spend that money if I don't have to."
“If you guys feel like it's worthwhile paying a visit to somebody's office in Helena or Missoula, and you need company, I suspect there's 100 people here — including me — who will come with you,” one speaker commented.
“[B]eing really cognizant of the generation of students who are just going into college right now and how stressful that is for them, and yeah, just the loans that they are stuck with, with jobs that are not there,” said a resident who works for the University of Montana’s School of Forestry.
“If the NIH disposes of the Rocky Mountain Lab and all the employees of the Forest Service, I see everybody here just disappearing and going somewhere else,” said another resident.
“We are not only going to pay for this economically in this valley. We're going to pay for this with the knowledge and expertise and the ability to get anything done," a veteran commented. "And that is painful trust."
Watch related coverage: Hamilton bracing for possible impacts from federal job cuts
“[T]his is a historic time in our country and we need to continue to support each other,” said one resident who once served as the Ravalli County Attorney.
“I just feel that need to talk about the Forest Service and the existential crisis that Hamilton faces. If you think that's hyperbole, just look at Pasadena or these other fires. Forest is right there," a speaker said. "You should oppose any cuts to any resources that are going firefighting. And that's about what I'm sitting on."
“If you enjoy them [federal employees] as customers of your businesses, we need them. If you enjoy the fact that you have a job working for those businesses that provide goods and services to those federal employees, then we all need them," another speaker commented. "I believe that [the] working middle class is the backbone of every thriving community. And I think this is a direct attack on that and our community,” said a Ravalli County resident.
“I can't even tell you the number of times I relied on our local forest service, wherever I was teaching, for science materials, and posters, and guest speakers, and meet us at the campground and teach us about this," a former teacher said. "And nearly every grade has science dealing with animals, ecosystems, and human impact on that. And I just think of our kids. If you were ever a kid, or if you have kids now, we really need to consider them in all of this."
Watch related coverage: USFS cuts thousands of jobs; fired Montana forester speaks out
Hamilton’s City Council members expressed their willingness to take action in whatever way they could to help support the federal workers in Hamilton and the surrounding area.
“[T]his council has been diligently trying to find answers and solutions. And this was one of our answers and solutions is to bring you all together here tonight to learn from you, to hear your experiences, and continue to gather facts and information that we can use and have you help us find some reasonable courses of action that you would like to see us take,” said Hamilton’s City Council President Robin Pruitt.
Many of the firings of federal workers are currently being litigated in court, and several judges have ordered the reinstatement of various federal employees, mainly probationary employees, many of whom were fired on February 14.
