This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Debra D'Agostino, a 48-year-old attorney from Washington DC who represents federal employees. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Employees of federal agencies continue to wrestle with the shocks of Elon Musk’s drive to purge the government of diversity ...

The result is that federal workers in Washington, D.C., and other cities with high numbers of government employees are either feeling motivated to buy new homes or discouraged from buying or selling.

The 2025 total number of unique claims for federal employees that were submitted but not approved or paid yet was 1,480, as of Feb. 22. The balance of the unemployment fund as of Feb. 20 is ...