LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The Department of Government Efficiency continues cutting government spending and cites billions of dollars in savings. Still, thousands have been directly affected across the country, including a Southern Nevada man who told 8 News Now he lost his job after two decades of public service.
Mark Wagstaff has dedicated most of his life to public service.
“I never thought about doing anything else since I was 21,” Wagstaff said.
He served in the Marine Corps for 10 years and was honorably discharged as a sergeant.
He then worked as a federal employee for six years, first for the Department of Defense, then as an administrative officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Southern Nevada after a recent promotion.
However, two weeks ago, he told 8 News Now everything changed.
“It felt like you just walked in,” Wagstaff recalled. “And just oh we don’t want you no more.”
Wagstaff was one of thousands of people terminated due to orders by President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“We’ve cut billions and billions and billions of dollars,” President Trump said during a recent press conference. “We are looking to get it maybe to a trillion dollars if we could do that.”
Trump and Musk are still taking various actions to shrink the size of the federal workforce and cut that spending with rounds of firing and layoffs.
“DOGE is a support function for the president and for the agencies and departments to help achieve those savings,” Musk said to reporters on the department recently. “And to effectively find 15% in reduction and fraud and waste.”
DOGE officials haven’t released an official tally, however, many let go were among the government’s 220,000 probationary workers. The status is classified as anyone hired or promoted within the past year.
Wagstaff told 8 News Now he fell under the latter category, which led to his termination.
“We want America to succeed, but at the same time we want you to do it the right way,” Wagstaff said. “And not just tear us down to the ground like we’re less than human.”
He said he is now doing what he can to make his message known while also trying to figure out what comes next.
“It’s not just my story,” Wagstaff concluded. “It’s every other American story.”
Wagstaff told 8 News Now he lost access to his government email quickly, so he has not gotten much more communication. No severance has been offered, and he said while he put in a request to access his 401K, that has not been granted.
Wagstaff has started a GoFundMe account titled “A Veteran In Need” to help him with living costs.
