>> reporter: we joined kate scafe friday morning as she made her kids lunch, dropped them off at thesaid, where she was a program analyst. scafe was one of thousands of federal employees who received an e-mail saying they're being affected by a reduction in force. government speak for you're fired. >> it has been one of the hardest months of my life. to feel that i did something wrong when all we were trying to do was the right thing. >> they're increasingly viewed as the villains. >> reporter: that's top trump official russell vought talking to his right-wing think tank in 2023. vought has helped billionaire elon musk carry out the mass firings across the federal government. last week vought sent this memo directing agencies to plan for a significant reduction in the number of full-time workers, an effort to shrink the government that could ultimately leave 700,000 federal employees across the country out of a job. >> we want to put them in trauma. >> reporter: that trauma was on display friday as usaid workers left the building for the last time. >> usaid saves lives. >> that's how