A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services employee suddenly laid off due to the large-scale restructuring effects of the Donald Trump administration expressed their situation by likening it to a scene from the Korean drama "Squid Game."
According to WTOP, a local broadcaster in Washington, D.C., on the 2nd (local time), procedures to determine whether employees were laid off were underway as they arrived at the Department of Health and Human Services building the previous morning. Employees stood in long lines for hours, scanning their access badges at the entrance to check if they could pass through.
When the access badge was scanned and a green light came on, it meant the employee could continue working, while a red light indicated they had been laid off, employees reported. WTOP noted that this situation, which occurred on April Fool's Day, was "no joke" and that if their badges did not work, it meant they lost their job as part of the staffing cuts being pushed by the Trump administration.
One employee, who said the red light came on after waiting in line for two hours, mentioned in an interview that "it felt like 'Squid Game.'" This implied that it mirrored the instant life-and-death situations faced by participants in "Squid Game."
"Red light, Green light," the most well-known game in "Squid Game," is recognized by viewers due to the red and green lights featured in the game, and it is commonly referred to as "Red light, Green light" in the U.S.
The employee said, "The situation was very humiliating," adding that after seeing the red light, they needed someone to accompany them when they went inside the building to gather their belongings.
Another Department of Health and Human Services employee stated that they arrived for work around 5 a.m. the previous day but learned of their layoff when their access badge failed to work while trying to enter the building from the parking lot. They criticized, saying, "The current government is essentially torturing public servants."
They had been working in a department responsible for community mental health and substance use issues. One employee stated, "Our work saved many lives" and continued, "What we will soon see is an increase in deaths from drug overdoses, and the most marginalized communities will be most affected."
Another employee said, "It was an honor to serve this country, but being laid off so carelessly is truly heartbreaking."
According to U.S. media, the layoffs are part of actions following Trump administration guidelines aimed at streamlining federal government operations and reducing expenditures, starting with the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as agencies under it, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Currently, the number of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services is approximately 82,000, of which 10,000 are being laid off, and an additional 10,000 are expected to leave the department through "voluntary retirement programs." The Trump administration stated that this could save approximately $1.8 billion (about 2.6 trillion won) annually. However, there are concerns that staffing cuts in key departments, such as public health and food safety, could undermine the United States' ability to respond to health crises.