Some fired federal workers have had strangers on social media celebrating the fact that they’ve lost their jobs — while the workers themselves worry about who will take up the duties they’ve been forced to leave behind.

“I’ve seen a lot of people in my comments on TikTok saying, like, ‘Good, now you can go get a real job,’ whatever that means,” Victoria Chege told us.

Chege, who recently finished a Master’s degree in public health, was hired as a program analyst for Medicare and Medicaid before losing her job amid the Trump administration’s firings and layoffs. Her work had focused on removing barriers that make it difficult for people to get quality health care.

Now she and other fired healthcare policy workers are sounding the alarm, saying they’re worried a lack of regulation could have devastating impacts on people around the country.

Katja Morgan worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overseeing health insurance companies and making sure they were covering claims like they were supposed to.

“When you’re buying something as important as health insurance, you want to make sure that your health insurance company is following the law and following all the rules we’ve established,” Morgan said. “And so without people like me in the government, there’s no one doing that work.”

After just six weeks at what she calls her dream job, Morgan was terminated.

“I received an email last Saturday that I was fired from my position,” she said.

Morgan was still in her one-year probationary period, which is standard for new employees. She hadn’t had an official performance review yet but says her bosses told her she was doing well.

They “said that all of — you know, myself and all my coworkers who were let go, all had outstanding performance,” Morgan said. “We are dedicated public servants who come here trying to make a difference and wanting to help people and look out for the public interest.”

Chege told us: “For me, it was really making sure people had access to quality health care and that they are just removing all barriers that make it difficult for people to get quality health care. Something I’m really passionate about. And something I hope to keep doing in my next role.”

Both women say they’re still trying to figure out their options, as far as appealing to get their jobs back.

News4 reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment. We have not heard back.