Amy Paris, a long-serving federal employee who played a key role in implementing trans-inclusive policies under the Biden administration, has been dismissed by the Trump administration. Paris, who most recently served as deputy digital services lead at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was instrumental in overseeing organ donation safety.
Having worked across five presidential administrations, Paris had become one of the highest-ranking trans women in the federal government, second only to former Assistant Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, according to The 19th.
However, on February 14, Paris was among the many federal employees fired under the Trump administration.
“They said I was fired for performance,” Paris told The 19th. “I have clear evidence in multiple different ways that I was one of the highest-performing people in the entirety of the federal government.”
Paris believes her termination was not based on job performance but rather part of a broader effort to undermine government functions.
“They’re trying to actually not make the government more efficient, but disrupt the government and disrupt citizen services that the American people need in order to conduct their daily lives,” she added. Paris is currently exploring legal options to challenge her firing.
Elon Musk’s Role in Mass Layoffs
Paris’ dismissal is part of a larger wave of terminations overseen by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is being led by Elon Musk. Despite not holding an elected position, Musk has been tasked with restructuring government agencies. To bypass congressional approval, the Trump administration has rebranded the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS).
Democrats have strongly opposed these actions, arguing that Musk’s unilateral restructuring is unconstitutional and illegal. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that federal agencies’ budgets and structures are determined by congressional law and cannot be altered without legislative approval. As a result, multiple lawsuits have been filed by former federal employees challenging the legality of these dismissals.
The impact of these mass layoffs on government services remains to be seen, but critics argue that the move is more about dismantling critical agencies than improving efficiency.
