type: timeline_event
One year after DOGE-led cuts began, more than 322,000 federal employees left government service, representing the largest peacetime workforce reduction in U.S. history. Office of Personnel Management data showed 317,000 employees departed by the end of 2025, offset by 68,000 new hires, resulting in a net reduction of 249,000 workers—just over 10% of the federal workforce. The federal payroll fell to levels last seen in 1966, despite the country's population and budget being much larger. Roughly 149,500 employees resigned, more than 105,000 retired, and around 10,500 were laid off, with more than 123,000 taking deferred resignation offers.
USAID's staffing dropped most dramatically, falling from 4,800 employees to just 378. Health and Human Services announced plans to reduce from 82,000 to 62,000 employees. The IRS shed more than 26,000 employees, reducing from over 100,000 during the Biden administration to fewer than 60,000. The Department of Education suffered 69% cuts, while HUD and the National Science Foundation faced 40% reductions each. Virginia alone lost 23,500 federal jobs through November 2025, wiping out six years of job gains in 11 months. Washington, D.C. expected a $1 billion revenue loss over three years due to projected federal layoffs.
CNN and PBS interviews with displaced workers revealed wide-ranging impacts: some struggled to find jobs and pay bills, while others pivoted careers, relocated across the country, or dedicated time to volunteer work. Nonprofit Work for America helped place former federal workers in state and local government roles. However, months after the purge, the Trump administration began asking some fired employees if they wanted to return, suggesting critical expertise had been lost. Experts warned that impacts would deepen in 2026 as thoughtless workforce cuts disrupted Social Security, taxpayer support, and veterans' health care services. Despite claims of hundreds of billions in savings, independent analyses estimated DOGE cuts cost taxpayers between $21.7 billion and $135 billion, with federal spending continuing to rise as most outlays are entitlement-driven and require congressional action.