CNN 5 Things One Thing: After DOGE Cuts, The Government Is Hiring Again. Will Anyone Bite?
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Mar 15, 2026 
Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, explains shifts in federal hiring and risks from politicized staffing. Melissa Patsalides, a former USAID career employee, recounts being removed and her life after government. They discuss mass cuts under Doge, impacts on readiness and morale, the push to rehire differently, and concerns about expanding at-will political appointments.
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USAID Staff Locked Out After Doge Sweep
- Melissa Patsalides described being locked out of USAID systems and placed on administrative leave after Doge's cuts.
- She said hundreds lost access, were told not to show up, and that USAID felt like "a ball of worms" under the Department of Government Efficiency.
Ex-USAID Worker Pivoted To Gardening For Sanity
- After being fired in July, Melissa Patsalides pivoted from aid work to starting a gardening business and training as a garden coach.
- She cited mental health, a six-year-old daughter, and a husband with cancer as reasons to leave federal work and stop consuming news.
Cuts Shifted Government Purpose Toward Loyalty
- Max Stier called the cuts "deeply troubling" and said the administration shifted government purpose toward serving private presidential interests.
- He warned that this conversion and mass outflow have dramatically diminished government capacity across functions.