In the lead up to the 2024 presidential elections, my boyfriend and I discussed the possible impact of another Trump presidency. I had the sense that life in America would change, but I didn’t know that Trump’s return would drastically alter my life, sending it into a tailspin.
Executive Order 14169
On inauguration day, shortly after the ceremony and pomp was over, President Trump signed Executive Order 14169, which ordered a 90-day pause on all U.S. foreign development aid programs. My work as an implementer of aid programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department was immediately halted. This type of government intervention was unprecedented, and the entire international development sector waited with bated breath to see what the results of the government’s review would be.
As winter dragged on, Trump continued to sign executive orders that constrained my work. I tried to stay optimistic like my coworkers, but the sense of impending doom loomed larger with every passing day. By the beginning of February, the mood in the office dramatically shifted as operations began to shut down in offices around the world. That’s when it hit us—this was real. The government was ready to permanently shut down programs that have saved over 25 million lives through HIV prevention, improved the nutrition of more than 18 million children, and support peacebuilding and democracy-strengthening events around the world (link). We watched as colleagues and friends in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe shut down their offices and let staff go and yet, we still hoped—naively—that this was all a bad dream, and that the important, life-saving programs would stay afloat.
Fleeing America
On February 17, I was furloughed for the first time in my life. Upon hearing the news, I immediately booked a flight to Spain and said to my boyfriend “are you coming?”. I had already planned to take a month off from work for a much-needed vacation, but the layoffs made the need much more imminent. I spent six weeks exploring the Basque Country, Madrid, and Barcelona, drinking Tinto de Verano and sangria, and eating paella while trying to reconcile with the fact that not only my job, but my career, was over.
Anyone would have been jealous of the freedom that I now had to travel the world with no obligations, but I was still rattled by the shutdown of one of the most important industries in the world. My days in the Basque countryside were sunny, but also full of trepidation for the future. I spent most days wandering around Madrid, looking for quaint coffee shops to pass the time, trying not to fall apart.
We eventually came back to Washington D.C., where I had to contend with the fact that not only I, but the majority of my friends, were also unemployed.
One Year Later
We’re now a year past the date that I was furloughed and soon will hit the one-year anniversary of when I was officially let go. I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs since then with no success. When strangers or people who are not in the international development space hear my story, they give a sympathetic smile and tell me that things will get better, that I’m sure to find a job soon, that I’m extremely qualified. I nod politely because that’s the right thing to do, but inside, I’m screaming. I’m screaming that it doesn’t matter that I have X years of experience or speak three languages—there are tons of people in D.C. who have even more years of experience than I do and speak five languages. In our current market, I’m not special; I’m completely average.
And yet, I can’t help but try, sometimes, to be optimistic. Perhaps I won’t find a job in D.C. anytime soon, but maybe this experience will open another chapter in my life. It’s already made me open to moving halfway across the world with my boyfriend. What do I have to lose?
Dear Dominique,
I share you anguish and your disbelief. It does not help that this is not just a misguided action. It would seem that the government act through twits, when any problem at the national level requires accessing and balancing multiple factors. In pursue of artificial intelligence we are losing use of our traditional human intelligence.
I do agree that each governmental program should be periodical reassessed, but throwing out the baby with the dirty water is never a good idea. We can only hope that the American voter agrees with me on that.
On a more personal level, I have faith on you. You will tasks worth of your abilities, and all your experiences will of use. More, I am sure that you will enhance any activity in which you will be involved.
Now, about moving to Spain, my own experience is blurry. Exposure to a new environment open new risks and opportunities. But you will lose years adapting to a new environment.
As the gaucho saying says: “Vaca que cambia querencia se atrasa en la parision.”
I love you.