Mack Schroeder

Former budget analyst, Department of Health and Human Services

“There are many people who are not getting social service programs, especially people with disabilities. Are you going to do anything about it?” –Mack Schroeder

Mack Schroeder was a budget analyst who worked in the Department of Health and Human Services, managing funding for programs for the elderly and those with disabilities – until he was fired by DOGE on February 14. Many others were fired along with him, leaving a diminished staff that would no longer be able to run the programs that helped people. And so, with other laid-off colleagues, he went to the Hill and tried to talk to lawmakers about the consequences these firings would have on their constituents, to put a human face on budget cuts. 

When he saw Senator Jim Banks (R) of Indiana in a hallway, he said, “Hi, I was a worker at HHS, I was illegally fired. There are many people who are not getting social service programs, especially people with disabilities. Are you going to do anything about it?” Senator Banks’ response? He told Schroeder he “probably deserved” to be fired and called him “a clown,” then scrambled into an elevator and left.

Undeterred, Schroeder returned to Bank’s office with other fired colleagues in tow, demanding an apology and answers from him and other GOP lawmakers, too. Did they support Trump’s workforce cuts and if so, how did they plan to make sure their constituents have access to services? So far, they haven’t received any answers from Republican senators, but Democrats stopped to talk to them and reaffirmed their support. 

As of June, Schroeder had yet to see Banks or get an apology from him, or be told what the Senator planned to do to protect the people of Indiana from the slashing of programs that impact them. 

Meanwhile, Senator Banks expressed no shame for his dismissal of Schroeder, and little concern for the questions posed by constituents. After Schroeder was interviewed on MSNBC, Banks appeared on CNN, saying about his brush iwith Schroeder, "I'm not going to shy away or back down or apologize for what I had to say [Tuesday]. This was a calculated instigator activist in the hallways of the Senate, and I don't have a lot of tolerance for it." Later, on X, Banks added, “I have no sympathy for left-wing activists who have been let go from overpaid positions that should never have existed. I do have sympathy for the hardworking Hoosiers whose tax dollars have been wasted on bankrolling these positions." 

Schroeder is hardly a clown or professional agitator; he’s an experienced professional. He graduated from Emory University, then received master’s degrees in both Social Work and Public Policy from the University of Michigan. He was then awarded a prestigious ICMA Local Government Fellowship, which gave him a year’s experience in municipal government management, before being hired at HHS in 2024. There, he oversaw more than $2.6 billion in funding for elder and disability support programs.

What’s most important about Schroeder’s attempts to publicize the consequences of the budget cuts is that it’s not about him – it’s about the people he worked for, the people who need the programs that have now been dismantled. Firing federal workers is bad for those individuals, but Schroeder has kept the spotlight on those who will be most harmed.

For his part, Banks’ statements suggest that he’s unaware that vital services will be cut for his constituents. As Senator Angus King (I) of Maine said, “One of the problems with these firings is these people literally don’t know what they’re doing. They don’t know that they’re cutting Meals on Wheels, and when they find out, they’re going to come back and say, ‘We didn’t mean to do that.’”

When asked, how he felt after Banks insulted him, Taylor replied: “My answer remains the same. I'm angered and discouraged that this is how he, along with many others in power, feel about the millions of Americans who will be denied lifesaving health services. This includes Medicaid, cancer screening and prevention, nutrition assistance for older adults, independent living for people with disabilities, substance use treatment, and so many other programs through the US Department of Health and Human Services.”  

To his credit, Schroeder has used his unfair dismissal to advocate for others at HHS and elsewhere who’ve been let go overnight or without cause by Trump’s and DOGE’s purge of the professional workforce across government. He’s also helped put a human face on the pending brutal federal budget cuts in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” being backed by many GOP lawmakers. Taylor is confronting them, too, demanding they acknowledge what they’re doing and take responsibility for the devastating impact it will have on Americans. Those who will be hit hardest are the most vulnerable and needy, including the elderly, children, and those with disabilities. As Schroeder sees his newfound mission, “it’s a matter of life or death.”