Trump’s Federal Worker Firings Endanger American Well-being
Staffers from Yosemite National Park in California hung an upside-down American flag, traditionally a symbol of national distress, to protest the mass layoffs of federal workers under President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE. Source: NBC via the Independent
Despite President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s accusations of a “bloated” federal workforce, the size of the American bureaucracy is not particularly extraordinary. It is smaller proportionally compared to counterparts like Britain and Canada. The federal bureaucracy is intended to be apolitical and provide services to all Americans regardless of party affiliation or ideology. Trump and Musk’s recent firings have rendered federal jobs political. Federal workers have responsibilities across several crucial sectors like transportation, education, business, public health, and more. Without them, it remains unclear who will shoulder their tasks. Across the country, recently fired employees and aspiring federal workers feel uncertainty about the future.
The White House published a fact sheet on Feb. 11 that vaguely comments there are “too many federal workers.” For reference, the size of the federal workforce has been approximately the same size for fifty years despite 68% population growth and a fivefold increase in federal spending. The federal workforce as of Nov. 2024 made up less than 2% of the civilian workforce with just over 3 million workers. Excluding U.S. Postal Service employees, there are about 2.4 million federal employees. Walmart currently employs over half that number. In 2024, the average salary for a federal worker was $106,000, with more than half earning less than $100,000. Musk, on the other hand, is worth over $340 billion. Ultimately, Musk could hire about 3.2 million federal workers with his wealth. The federal bureaucracy has only reached that size four times since the 1950s.
Federal workers are diverse in expertise, location, and background. This diversity is not just a liberal talking point, either. In the private sector, diversity seems to be correlated with higher profitability. Recent cuts tear away at the fabric of diverse experience, knowledge, and productivity that power the US government to administer Social Security to retirees and monitor the spread of bird flu.
Government layoffs in themselves are not a new concept. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton tried offering buyouts to federal workers. Agencies reported losing expertise, corporate memory, and efficiency. In response, many agencies hired more outside consultants at a higher cost to American taxpayers. DOGE employs a “move fast, break things” tactic with little consideration of how an agency’s mission will be continued if it is eliminated. The Trump administration has half-heartedly suggested enveloping USAID into the State Department. It is unclear how states would take on the role previously fulfilled by the imperiled Department of Education.
There is no denying that the U.S. faces a fraud crisis. In 2024, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated that up to $521 billion may be lost annually to fraud. Fraudsters are becoming more adept at deceiving the federal government. The solution to fraud, though, is not eliminating the target of federal bureaucracy. The public sector can model the banking industry in anti-fraud measures and work on better data capture and sharing within federal agencies, in addition to a top-down commitment to fighting fraud.
Federal workers make the U.S. remarkable. The federal workforce that Trump labeled full of “people that are unnecessary” ensures that people get the services they need every day, from responding to natural disasters like Hurricane Helene to searching for cancer cures. With judges blocking various executive actions, it is uncertain what exactly will happen to the federal workforce. Some of my most dedicated and passionate peers have reconsidered pursuing a career in the federal government. Regardless of whether all of Trump’s firings proceed, and federal workers are rehired, the structure of the bureaucracy is riddled with chaos and confusion. The president has done considerable damage to federal workers, agencies, and the American people’s faith in the government.