DES MOINES, Iowa — Last week thousands of federal employees were fired, hitting the United States Department of Agriculture offices in Ames especially hard.

Kim Vore, a former USDA Employee who worked as the only employee in the visual services department, said that employees all given the same reason for being terminated – poor performance.

“Everybody was given the same blanket email outline for being let go for a poor performance, which is not the case. I think a lot of our management staff was just as surprised as we were. They were coming into my office as I was reading it and everybody was just stunned. I mean, it’s a gut check.” Vore said.

A USDA spokesperson released a statement following the layoffs.

Secretary Rollins fully supports the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people. We have a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of the American people’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars and to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve the people, not the bureaucracy. As part of this effort, USDA has released individuals in their probationary period of employment. Secretary Rollins is committed to preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted.

USDA Spokesperson

Vore said that her department is now empty.

“I was the only person in that department, and it normally has two to three people. The hiring freeze stopped the process of getting a second person in there, and then they fired me. So, there’s currently no one running visual services.” Vore said.

Vore said that researchers and scientists will not be able to get the services that she used to provide.

“Literally. Office lights off, door closed, No one home to help. And I just feel horrible because I want to be there. I want to be helping those. I call them family members because that’s what they’ve become to me. They’re just amazing people, so smart in their field. They work so hard and just to be tossed away like yesterday’s garbage for no good reason just breaks my heart.” Vore said.