In the first month of his new administration, President Trump has taken drastic steps to reduce the size of the federal workforce, from offering nearly all federal employees a “deferred resignation” buyout to illegally firing senior officials at several agencies. While many of these efforts are being challenged in court, the strategy behind them is clear: Villainize public servants, fire or push them out of their jobs, and then dismantle the federal services they were faithfully executing. By sowing public distrust in those who provide government services, the public’s faith in the goods provided by the government is at risk of eroding too, making it easier for the administration to eliminate core government functions that hundreds of millions of Americans rely on.

The public goods provided by federal agencies are so commonplace that we may not even recognize how prevalent they are in our lives. When we walk into the grocery store, we purchase our food knowing that it won’t make us sick because of the efforts of the Food and Drug Administration. When we travel in a car, we have confidence in reaching our destination safely because of the standards set and enforced by the Department of Transportation. We can evacuate areas in advance of life-threatening natural disasters because of the efforts of the National Weather Service and other federal agencies. These and countless other services provided by the federal government are possible because of the dedication and expertise of federal employees who are now under attack.

The impact of these attacks will be felt throughout the country. Every congressional district has federal workers. Below, we provide a snapshot from FedScope of the federal workforce and the actions the Trump administration has taken to undermine them.

Who are federal workers?

The federal workforce consists of roughly 3 million employees and represents the diversity of the country. Individuals holding these jobs are hired and discharged based on their merit and are protected from undue political influence or reprisal. The last time Congress made comprehensive reforms to the civil service system was in 1978, following the Watergate era of abuse of powers, overt politicalization of the civil service system, and increased distrust in government. In many ways, the civil service system was designed with the express purpose of guarding against the very objectives the current administration seems to be pursuing.

While a significant focus has been on agencies headquartered in Washington, D.C., the vast majority of federal employees (93%) live and work outside of the nation’s capital (see Table 3).

Nearly 50% of federal employees have been in federal service for more than a decade, acquiring deep expertise and knowledge. Tables 4 and 5 below highlight the educational attainment of the federal workforce and the top 10 most common occupational categories, accounting for more than 70% of all employees. 

Trump administration’s attacks on the federal workforce

The Trump administration has moved at a rapid pace to cut the federal workforce. Among others, these actions include:  

• Issuing a Schedule F executive order to make it easier to fire federal workers in jobs that are normally apolitical.
• Issuing an executive order that eliminates telework and remote work options for federal employees.
• Issuing an executive order that places a freeze on all hiring of federal civilian employees.
• Placing employees in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility offices on administrative leave.
• Requiring all agencies to identify and review retention needs of all probationary federal employees and firing those workers at several agencies.
• Sending a mass email to all federal employees providing them with a “deferred resignation” option.
• Firing or ordering to retire senior officials at a number of agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), FBI, U.S. Coast Guard, and others.
• Firing Inspectors General at 17 agencies.
• Placing U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on indefinite administrative leave, firing contract workers, and recalling employees who are abroad.
• Revoking an executive order that protected the collective bargaining rights of federal workers.
• Revoking an executive order that protected workers’ job security on federal service contracts.

In the coming weeks and months, we will no doubt continue to see more attacks on the federal workforce. You can find a comprehensive catalogue of all policies relevant to working people and the economy at Federal Policy Watch, an EPI online tool documenting actions by the Trump administration, Congress, federal agencies, and the courts. You can subscribe to daily Federal Policy Watch updates here.