'You're on the list': Local veteran among those fired in IRS worker layoffs

SALADO, Texas (KXAN) — For 13 years, Daniel Santiago served this country. He joined the military back in 2011.

“I wanted to help people. Back in that time, you’re hearing all these stories about soldiers coming back that were blown up. They were hurt,” Santiago said. “The best thing to do is to serve my country and become a medic.”

Santiago said he was released from the army because of injuries during his time serving. He said he’s now a disabled veteran.

“I was jumping for about 10 years, 60 jumps,” Santiago said. “Broke my femur. Broke my pelvis. I have five herniated discs.”

He got a job with a construction company as a project coordinator. But people around him, kept encouraging him to find a position within the government because of his years of service.

“I started looking into it, and I talked to some friends,” Santiago said. “I applied, and I was able to get a job with the IRS.”

Santiago got brought on as a program analyst where he worked on the IRS’ website.

“If customers were having issues, we were making sure we were on top of fixing those issues,” Santiago said. “So things like hearing impaired, different languages, all those different things for all the different Americans, was stuff that we put into those systems.”

But only three months into the job, management notified Santiago he was one of hundreds impacted by the IRS layoffs.

“He’s like, ‘Listen, I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re on the list,'” Santiago said. “He says, ‘It’s coming from HR. We’re fighting because, you know, we don’t want you to go.'”

The agency let go of about 7,000 workers around the country. This was part of a wider initiative by the Trump Administration to shrink the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency.

U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s office said about 600 of those employees were in Texas.

“Veterans out there in the same situation. Having mortgages to pay, families to feed, and no more income. We sacrificed everything for the government,” Santiago said. “We sacrificed everything for this country. You lose everything. You lose your retirement. You lose all your benefits.”

Now, Santiago is left trying to navigate what’s next. He’s on the job hunt, just like thousands of others.

“I know this is going to take time, and it’s going to be hard,” Santiago said.

Ultimately, he hopes that by sharing his story, it can help other veterans in the same situation.

“These companies and corporations see an application come through from a veteran that was working with the government, maybe take a look at them,” Santiago said. “At least bring them in, have a conversation, because they’re struggling.”

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