Abby McIlraith returned to work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hyattsville, Maryland, office on the first day of December for the first time in more than three months. Her suspension for signing a public letter criticizing agency leadership was over, and she was looking forward to finally putting it behind her.
The day went largely as anticipated. Her co-workers warmly welcomed her back throughout the day. CNN even reported that the employees had been reinstated. But it took a “shocking” turn around 4 p.m. when she received an email saying that she had once again been placed on administrative leave.
“I didn’t tell a whole lot of people because it’s kind of a weird thing,” McIlraith, an emergency management specialist for the agency, told NOTUS. “But [there were] some painful goodbyes, and some people who had already left for the day, and I already said, ‘See you tomorrow.’”