Trump cuts shrink federal workforce by nine percent
Axios, citing new Bureau of Labor Statistics data, reports that the federal workforce has fallen by about 271,000 employees — roughly 9% — between January and November 2025, as President Trump’s downsizing push led by Elon Musk’s DOGE team took effect. Most departures came through a voluntary 'Deferred Resignation' buyout-style program and other incentivized exits rather than outright firings, though the administration has since moved to rehire thousands in critical areas like nuclear weapons, disease response and tax administration after realizing gaps.
📌 Key Facts
- BLS data show federal employment dropped from just over 3 million in January 2025 to 2.74 million in November, a loss of about 271,000 workers (~9%).
- Roughly 162,000 employees, many in Elon Musk’s 'fork in the road' Deferred Resignation Program, came off the rolls in October alone while continuing to receive paychecks through Sept. 30 in exchange for resigning.
- OPM chief Scott Kupor says only about 25,000 of the more than 300,000 expected departures were formal terminations, with the rest leaving via voluntary or incentivized programs, and Brookings tallies over 26,000 instances where the administration fired and then rehired employees, sometimes under court order.
- An OPM spokesperson stresses the Deferred Resignation Program was 'fully voluntary,' while some employees say fear of being fired or RIF’d and disagreement with Trump-era policies effectively pushed them out.
📊 Relevant Data
Black employees make up about 18.5% of the federal civilian workforce, compared to about 12% of the overall civilian workforce.
How Trump's federal job cuts put Black employees at risk - NPR — NPR
More than 18% of the federal workforce is Black versus about 12% of the civilian workforce overall, and DOGE job cuts disproportionately affect Black federal workers.
DOGE job cuts disproportionately affect Black federal workers — Marketplace
President Trump has cut hundreds of thousands of jobs from the federal work force, disproportionately affecting Black employees, particularly Black women.
In Trump's Federal Work Force Cuts, Black Women Are Among the Biggest Losers — The New York Times
Black workers represented over 18% of the federal workforce before recent cuts, arguably due to the structure of civil service providing more equitable employment opportunities.
How Federal Workforce Cuts Threaten an Already Fragile Black Middle Class — Legal Defense Fund
A reduction in the federal workforce will disproportionately impact LGBTQ women, younger LGBTQ people, and those with a high school education or less.
Proposed cuts to the federal workforce could impact 314,000 LGBTQ employees — Williams Institute