As the Trump administration moves to dramatically reduce and reshape the federal workforce, Howard County is standing up resources for government workers facing job loss or disruption.

The suburban county, located less than an hour’s drive from Washington D.C., is home to an estimated 50,000 federal workers — many whom recently received buyout offers or were ordered to cease pandemic-era remote work and return to the office.

County Executive Calvin Ball on Friday announced he is setting up a hotline and email address to connect them with existing programs and assistance. Residents who are terminated from federal jobs are now eligible for a bag of shelf staples from the Howard County Food Bank twice a month for up to three months. The county also announced plans for a federal workers career fair on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at Howard Community College, where attendees can obtain free headshots.

In the announcement, Ball said, “It is our duty to ensure our impacted neighbors have the resources and support they need to thrive.”

Earlier in the week, the county executive hosted a federal workers forum in Columbia that drew a more than 400 residents affected by the Trump administration’s changes. About 327,000 Maryland residents are directly employed by the federal government — comprising about 10% of the state’s workers, according to the U.S. Census.

During the forum, workers expressed outrage over the cuts and said they face a critical dilemma. If they resign, they must trust that President Donald Trump follows through with the terms of his offer. If they don’t, their jobs could disappear under the Trump administration’s plan to dramatically shrink the federal government.

Workers asked county leaders and representatives for state lawmakers in the room for help with child care and transportation amid the federal return-to-office order and for relief on state and local taxes if they lose employment.

In addition to the hotline, job fair and food assistance, Howard officials said they will expedite the application process for federal employees who apply for open county government positions and expand the Office of Workforce Development’s hours offering job search assistance.

Officials also said they will consider county employees’ requests to change their elections on flexible spending accounts for child care if their federally employed spouse’s child care benefits change.

Ball’s administration pointed to the county’s recent work to expand rapid bus transit along the US 29 Corridor, which stretches from downtown Columbia to Silver Spring. The Howard County Council recently authorized the route extension with Montgomery County and plans to roll it out in 2026.

Officials are also exploring options for expanding the county’s before care and aftercare for children, but are struggling to find enough people with adequate credentials. County spokeswoman Safa Hira said officials are “happy to work with people” to obtain their credentials.

State lawmakers have also set up events to support federal workers in Maryland. U.S. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen are hosting a telephone town hall Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Some federal workers still have the weekend to decide whether to take the Trump administration’s buyout offer, which promises pay and benefits through Sept. 30 in exchange for resignation.

A judge on Thursday ordered the deadline extended until after a hearing Monday afternoon.