Rather than create his own political organization to hire some of the staffers of his now-defunct campaign, former 2020 contender Michael Bloomberg is donating $18 million to the Democratic National Committee and encouraging his former aides to apply there for positions. According to BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg organizers in six swing states who were supposed to be part of Bloomberg’s political group were told Friday morning that they were being let go. A campaign spokesperson said the staffers “will be employed and paid through the first week in April and have full benefits through the end of April.” The spokesperson also said that the aides were encouraged to apply to the DNC, where the “DNC Coordinated Campaign is hiring in every one of the six battleground states we identified.”

When hired for Bloomberg’s campaign, staffers were originally told they would be guaranteed pay through November, regardless of whether the former New York mayor made it that far in the race. “He’s chopping his employees in a pandemic,” one Florida staffer said. “My life is now uprooted and I’m effectively homeless.” This comes as FEC filings show that the campaign spent over $875 million through the end of February.