A day after she appeared on MSNBC last month to talk about how millions of Americans could lose food benefits because of the shutdown, the USDA informed Ellen Mei that she was scheduled to be terminated because she shared government information ‘without prior approval.

The staff changes are part of Trump's campaign to recast the government while sharply cutting other federal jobs

The USDA employee warned that the shutdown could have negative impacts on the millions of Americans who rely on the federal government to put food on the table.

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown, saying that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims the cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated.

A new deal to end the government shutdown may briefly restore staff to U.S. Education Department offices that had been gutted by layoffs.

The food drive comes as some federal employees who have missed one full paycheck and a partial paycheck during the shutdown are tightening their belts.