Federal veterinarians reflect on career choice following government shutdown

Dr. Megan Sisson is a veterinary scientist with a master's in genetics and genomics from Duke University. Since 2017, she has worked as a veterinary medical officer in the virology laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Veterinary Biologics in Ames, Iowa. During the 35-day government shutdown that ended on Jan. 25, Dr. Sisson and various others were not in the laboratory assessing safety and efficacy of the vaccines that are used by veterinarians and the nation's livestock producers. Instead, she was one of nearly 800,000 "nonessential" federal employees furloughed for more than a month and not drawing a government salary. Dr. Sisson made ends meet by dipping into her savings, making plasma donations, and working as a part-time cashier at Target. "I'm surely the most highly educated cashier they had," she joked.

Approximately 1,300 federally employed veterinarians were affected by the government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history and a consequence of a disagreement between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In late January, President Trump endorsed a bill temporarily reopening the government while Democrats and Republicans negotiated a compromise appropriations bill. In mid-February, President Trump declared a national emergency to help finance the border wall and signed a compromise government-funding bill from Congress that prevented a second shutdown.

When the shutdown ended, Dr. Sisson received two weeks' back pay and returned to the laboratory. She also quit her job at Target. While the government got back to work, veterinarians in the public sector were nevertheless shaken.

Not so painless

Dr. Barbara Porter-Spalding has worked for the USDA since 1994, and is currently a staff officer with Veterinary Services' National Preparedness and Incident Coordination. This was Dr. Porter's third government shutdown. The first, at the close of 1995 and early in 1996 during the Clinton administration, lasted 21 days. And then there was the 13-day shutdown in 2013 during the Obama administration.

Unfortunately, my skills feel much less marketable as I have trained significantly to be in public service to help at a larger scale. The government was supposed to be a secure place to work with great benefits and now I feel trapped.

Anonymous veterinary medical officer with the federal government

"In the past, it seemed like the administration was trying to make the shutdown as painful for the public as possible," Dr. Porter recalled. "This time, I think a lot of agencies and departments were directed to try to make it as painless as possible. That allowed it to be drawn out a lot longer than is comfortable for most federal employees."

Preparedness and incident coordination staff continued to be paid during the most recent shutdown because their salaries are funded independently of annual congressional appropriations, according to Dr. Porter. "We're busy," she said. "I'm very glad I'm able to work because we're busy creating a series of African swine fever exercises that the industry specifically requested." The department, nevertheless, felt the effects of the shutdown. In addition to developing policies and plans for responding to disease outbreaks, NPIC staff run a training program for emergency responders. Several of those courses scheduled during the shutdown had to be canceled, according to Dr. Porter.

"We were working in a vacuum because a lot of people that you would normally engage and collaborate with were either furloughed or on call," she explained. "And if they're on call, then they're not supposed to be checking their (work) emails or have their phones. They're just waiting to be contacted through their home number or a personal email or an emergency contact that they provided. It's very difficult to plan or implement training exercises" that way.

Low morale

During the shutdown, the National Association of Federal Veterinarians was in contact with its members, from the Department of Defense to the U.S. Agency for International Development. The NAFV collected anecdotes from their members about how they were handling the shutdown, which were provided to JAVMA News by Dr. Porter, the current NAFV president. Following are a few excerpts:

• A veterinary medical officer wrote about struggles for her and her husband, both of whom were furloughed: "Unfortunately, my skills feel much less marketable as I have trained significantly to be in public service to help at a larger scale. The government was supposed to be a secure place to work with great benefits and now I feel trapped. ... The hardest part is the anxiety and helplessness. We are scared to spend any money and have filed for unemployment."
• A public health veterinarian with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service wrote about having to oversee slaughter and processing activities at federally inspected meat and poultry plants without pay, saying the shutdown has had a "devastating effect on me and my family as I already missed one paycheck and have to make arrangements with creditors to delay payments and make payment arrangements. ... Also, the shutdown is affecting my work performance, so it becomes difficult to focus on performing tasks when I worry about how I will get through without knowing when I will get paid."
• Another public health veterinarian working unpaid as an inspector at a poultry slaughter and processing plant wrote: "If the shutdown continues for another month, I am going to jump ship and change careers. This career, which is the only one I know. This career that I count on that will provide me with a comfortable retirement."

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation made a $5,000 donation to Not One More Vet, an online veterinary peer-to-peer support group, for grants to veterinarians affected by the shutdown.

This was not a vacation. We are not all so privileged that we don't notice two or more missing paychecks. Furloughs are not normal and should not be expected.

Dr. Megan Sisson, veterinary scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Veterinary Biologics<

Dr. Porter noted that every year the federal government surveys a random sample of employees from each agency. "What the survey shows over and over and over again is the feeling among veterinarians that what they provide to the federal government is extremely important to protect public health and food safety. Their motivation and desire to do a good job from end to end is extremely high. These shutdowns don't help with that at all."

Prior to the government shutdown, Dr. Sisson was seriously considering leaving federal service for a career in the private sector in clinical practice. As a student at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013, Dr. Sisson received an offer through the Saul T. Wilson Jr. program from USDA Veterinary Services. The deal was a three-year scholarship in exchange for three years of federal employment when she graduated in 2016. Dr. Sisson said the promise of financial aid and a guaranteed job were too good to pass up. The insecurity and uncertainty of recent weeks strengthened her resolve to leave the public sector as soon as her contract expires.

"The furlough is just another drop in the bucket for me. A federal job is supposed to be the ideal job: stable with decent benefits and pay. This isn't stable by any means," she said. "Our government never had a furlough this long and had to figure it out as they went. The jobs that were available when I was a student are not available now, and I am not waiting it out any longer."

"This was not a vacation," Dr. Sisson added. "We are not all so privileged that we don't notice two or more missing paychecks. Furloughs are not normal and should not be expected."

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