Pres. Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders, memos and proclamations throughout his first 10 days in office. Several target the federal workforce, enticing employees to resign, stripping some job protections, removing DEI practices as well as demanding a return to office and issuing, then rescinding, a freeze on funds.

Some of Teton County’s federal workers are feeling scared and unsure about the future of their jobs.

Susan Marsh worked for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for 31 years, 23 of them in Jackson. She said it’s not unusual to see new administrations make rapid changes and entice retirements.

“Between the time that President Reagan was elected and the time that his inauguration happened, I was hired permanently by the Forest Service,” Marsh said, “And I wouldn't have gotten that job after he was inaugurated because there was a hiring freeze.”

But she’s also seen the effects of insufficient money or workers on the department’s duties.

“The federal agencies don't create jobs to employ people. They have the people's work to be done and they need people to do it,” Marsh said. “So if the federal workforce gets slashed significantly, then people won't get the services that they're used to getting.”

A current USFS employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he and colleagues across other agencies were afraid jobs could disappear and that this week brought sudden meeting cancellations, a sign of restructuring.

The USFS did not respond to Jackson Hole Community Radio before publication.

Of over 20,000 jobs in Teton County, about 500 are with the federal government, mostly managing public lands.