U.S. Federal Workforce Slashings – A Nation at Stake?

The past few months have proved to be a whirlwind for the entire country in the wake of the second election of President Donald Trump. One group that has arguably felt the brunt of the Trump administration’s policies is the federal workforce. As part of the new DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative—which has the stated goal of “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize government efficiency and productivity” (Office of the Federal Register)—mass layoffs of federal workers were ordered, with over 30,000 workers across various governmental sectors being laid off as of February 2025 (AP News). This initiative also includes the planning of “large-scale reductions in force” and the freezing of trillions of dollars in federal grant funds (AP News).  

Multiple judges have attempted to block these layoffs. Shortly after the layoffs were first announced, U.S. District Judge William Alsup from California ruled in a lawsuit brought by a group of nonprofit organizations and unions that the firings were improperly directed by the Office of Personnel Management and ordered the rehiring of the dismissed employees at six departments—Veterans Affairs (VA), Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior, and the Treasury. Judge Alsup also expressly and personally condemned the terminations and stated that he found it “appalling” that many workers affected by this policy were allegedly fired due to poor performance yet received glowing reviews of their work performances just months prior (Federal News Network). Additionally, Maryland District Judge James Bredar stated in a Baltimore hearing that, although he ordered the Trump administration to reinstate about 25,000 federal employees as a result of a similar lawsuit, he feared that he lacked the power to call for the reinstatement of workers who resided in states outside of the suit due to the purported absence of jurisdiction (Reuters).  

Although the Trump administration also implemented a “deferred resignation” program in exchange for various financial incentives, these layoffs from what is the single largest employer in the country (Dayton Daily News) could have potentially devastating effects on the federal workforce that not even the promise of paid leave can remedy. Hundreds of thousands of probationary federal workers—those who have been working for less than a year and, therefore, do not possess civil service protection (NBC News)—could be affected by these layoffs. Although probationary workers do not have the same rights as fully instated federal workers, they are still only able to be fired with cause, which calls the legality of such layoffs into question.  

The layoffs could also boost the national rate of unemployment by almost 0.1% (CNN). This percentage seems miniscule upon first glance, but looking at it with just a statewide lens may put this into perspective—as of December 2024, some 85,000 Ohioans were employed by the federal government and accounted for about 1.5% of the state’s non-farm payrolls (U.S. Bureau of Labor). The VA’s Office had the highest percentage of federal workers in the state at this time, with almost 18,000 civilian employees. The next largest federal employers in the state are the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, and Department of the Army. These jobs, among many others, are at risk with these cuts—and if jobs are at risk, then so is the economy as a whole.  

If the American economy seemingly hangs in the balance—or, at the very least, has the potential to – due to these policies, one must determine the reason why the Trump administration would create them in the first place. Straight from the horse’s mouth? These sweeping layoff initiatives coincide perfectly with the presidential goal of re-establishing nationwide trust in the government by removing funding from “crooked,” “dishonest,” and “unnecessary” federal grant programs that are “destroying this country” (PBS). Such grants fund initiatives such as science and health research programs, access to healthcare, and the assembly and maintenance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs which slowly became a key component of classrooms and workforces alike before being swiftly revoked as a result of Trump Admin 2.0, which calls them “radical” and “wasteful” (White House).  

But how radical, wasteful, and unnecessary are these programs really? As someone who proudly worked at a not-for-profit organization serving certain members of the northeast Ohio community, I saw firsthand the profound impacts that both federal workers and federal grants had on the community. They put food on families’ tables, clothes on the backs of children, and reunited people with their loved ones—none of which could have been done without the tireless efforts of those federal employees who worked with us to make things happen. Rob Shriver, former director of the Office of Personnel Management under former President Joe Biden, stated that the core objective of the United States federal workforce is “to figure out how, consistent with that administration’s priorities and the directions from their leaders, they can help the government work better for American people” (PBS). As a nation, it is important to recognize and work toward integrating administrative and executive values and those that stem from the needs, hopes, and dreams of the American people.