Furlough Frenzy: Inside Stop Work Orders Shaking Up Federal Agencies

When USAID issued sudden stop work orders, thousands of NGO workers were caught in the crossfire. This week, as DOGE sets its audit sights on more federal agencies, we talk to a furloughed employee about the impact of frozen federal funding. Are American taxpayers’ calls for greater accountability being answered? Is this truly about fiscal responsibility, or are we putting America’s strategic “soft power” at risk? Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.threads.net/@mattsunbulli https://www.firstdraft.vc Aaron Calafato Listen to Aaron's 7 Minute Stories Before you start a podcast, talk to Aaron! Leah Ova Follow Leah on TikTok Editorial: Matt Sunbulli Brooks Borden Conor Bezane Aaron Calafato Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt Research: Zaid Safe Matt Sunbulli Aaron Calafato

Om Podcasten

Welcome to The Lonely Office: a podcast about making sense of the increasingly blurry line between work and life, brought to you by Glassdoor. We tackle real workplace stories sourced from anonymous firsthand accounts—like the rise of job ghosting, the truth behind unlimited PTO, and dealing with a nightmare boss. We also share insider advice on layoffs, severance negotiations, and wild work stories, from candidates vaping in interviews to employees fired over free speech. The professional world can be chaotic, but you don’t have to navigate it alone TLO is hosted by Matt Sunbulli (serial tech entrepreneur, Founder @ Fishbowl and First Draft AI), Aaron Calafato (Storyteller, Narrative Designer & Content Strategist), and Leah Ova (content creator and advertising executive), with special appearances from industry thought leaders and economists.