The Collapse of Care: Layoffs, Government Shutdowns & the War on Service

What happens when federal funding disappears, but community need doesn’t?

In the wake of massive SNAP cuts and widespread nonprofit layoffs, the staff who remain are drowning—not just in extra work, but in the moral weight of knowing that every task they can’t complete means someone doesn’t eat, someone doesn’t get housed, someone doesn’t get help. This episode explores the particular kind of burnout that comes from being the last one standing in an understaffed organization serving increasingly desperate communities. It’s about surviving uncertainty, redefining leadership amid collapse, and finding small acts of care that still hold the web together.

Key Talking Points:

• The 2025 government shutdown and its cascading impact on nonprofits, social services, and care programs.
• How systemic defunding and layoffs create a moral injury for those who remain.
• The emotional and ethical toll of “absorbing the work” after staff cuts.
• Why traditional models of leadership fail in times of institutional collapse.
• Reframing leadership as connection: micro-acts of care, trust, and mutual support.
• Recognizing burnout as both a symptom and a protest against unjust systems.
• How creative reflection, collective imagination, and solidarity can turn survival into a form of quiet resistance.

Want to go deeper? Here are some great resources I mentioned in the episode:

Key Statistics Cited: 

• 1.6 million federal employees affected by the October 1, 2025 government shutdown
  •  ~900,000 furloughed • ~700,000 working without pay
• 4,108 federal employees dismissed since the shutdown began, with projections of 10,000 + additional layoffs if it continues
• 460 Department of Education employees laid off, including staff supporting Title I and special-education programs
• CDC: ≈1,300 positions targeted for layoff; ≈600 permanent job losses
• 22,757 nonprofit jobs lost (Jan–Jun 2025) across health care, workforce development, and community support sectors
• 26 - 28% deficit to nonprofit operating margins due to loss of federal grants 
• Lost 580,000 (≈ 4.5 %) of workforce during pandemic. Between 2017 and 2022, the sector added 277,000 
• 20,000 nonprofit jobs lost since January 2025 under federal budget contractions
• $300 billion cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through 2034
• 42 million people face interrupted SNAP benefits in November 2025 due to shutdown funding lapses
• 41 % cut to AmeriCorps funding (≈ $400 million reduction), eliminating 32,000 national service members
• 85 % of AmeriCorps federal staff laid off during the shutdown, creating severe administrative backlogs
• >1 Million jobs lost nationwide due to combined losses from SNAP and Medicaid cuts

Books:

• Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds – Adrienne Maree Brown
• All About Love: New Visions – Bell Hooks
• Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto – Tricia Hersey 

Industry Reports & Publications:

• Chronicle of Philanthropy – Nonprofit Layoff Tracker and explainer
  https://www.philanthropy.com/news/nonprofit-layoff-tracker/
• Urban Institute – Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy
  https://www.urban.org/research-and-evidence/nonprofits-and-philanthropy
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – USDA overview
  https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program
• Nutrition.gov – SNAP overview and basic eligibility info
  https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/food-security-and-access/food-assistance-programs/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program
• AmeriCorps – Official site for current programs and service opportunities
  https://americorps.gov
• National Council of Nonprofits – State association directory
  https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/our-network/state-association-list
• Background reporting on AmeriCorps funding cuts and program shutdown threats (Reuters)  
    https://www.reuters.com/world/us/americorps-programs-halted-after-trump-moves-shut-down-national-service-2025-05-10/

Additional Resources:

• Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU)  https://npeu.org/
• National Council of Nonprofits - State association directory (find your state nonprofit association, trainings, and policy updates)  
    https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/our-network/state-association-list
• AFSCME - Resources for public and nonprofit service workers https://www.afscme.org/
• SNAP state information and hotline directory https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-directory
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline https://988lifeline.org
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine https://www.nami.org/help
• Feeding America – Find a local food bank https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank

Finding Peer Support and Local Coalitions:

For peer networks and local coalitions in your service field, check:

• Your state or regional nonprofit association

• Local United Way or community foundation

• Statewide coalitions related to your issue area (housing, food security, youth, disability justice, etc.)