Federal Workforce Reductions Under the Trump Administration • Layoff Magnitude and Geographic Distribution

If you're just keen to see the numbers from primary reporting sources, check out the following links:

• Trump reportedly will offer 'buyouts' to all 2 million federal workers - Government Executive
• List of Federal Agencies That Have Begun Mass Layoffs of Probationary Employees - Newsweek
• OPM advises agencies to fire probationary employees after ‘deferred resignation’ deadline
• Here’s Where Trump’s Government Layoffs Are Happening—CDC, NIH And More
• Layoffs accelerate at federal agencies with more cuts to come | STLPR
• Anger, chaos and confusion take hold as federal workers face mass layoffs
• Federal layoffs start with huge number of probationary workers and warnings of bigger cuts on way - CBS News
• KC's federal workers brace for job cuts as Trump plans purge

Since January 20, 2025, the Trump administration has implemented a dual approach to federal workforce reduction: voluntary deferred resignations and involuntary layoffs of probationary employees. While 75,000 federal employees accepted voluntary buyouts, over 10,000 probationary workers have been terminated involuntarily across 15+ agencies as of February 15, 2025. Geographic impacts are concentrated in regions with major federal facilities, including Kansas City, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, though layoffs span at least 20 states.

Involuntary Terminations of Probationary Employees

Probationary employees — those with less than one year of service or up to two years in certain roles — comprise the majority of layoffs (so far). Key agency-specific figures include:

• Department of Energy (DOE): 2,000 employees terminated, including staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration.
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): 1,000+ dismissals, primarily in non-clinical roles such as research and administrative support.
• U.S. Forest Service: 3,400 employees laid off, impacting wildfire prevention and land management teams.
• Small Business Administration (SBA): 720 employees, representing 20% of its permanent workforce.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): 73 probationary employees and 100 term contractors.
• Department of Education: 60+ staff in offices overseeing civil rights and student aid.
• General Services Administration (GSA): 100+ recent hires.

Cumulatively, these figures alone exceed 7,300 layoffs, but broader reporting indicates totals surpassing 10,000 when accounting for smaller agencies like the Office of Personnel Management (70+), National Nuclear Safety Administration (300), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1,300).

Voluntary Resignations

The separate "Fork in the Road" deferred resignation program attracted 75,000 participants who opted to retain pay and benefits through September 2025. These resignations are distinct from involuntary layoffs but contribute to overall workforce contraction.

Major Municipalities Affected

1. Kansas City Metro Area (MO/KS):

   • Home to nearly 30,000 federal workers across the IRS, USDA, VA, and SBA.
   • Layoffs at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and Economic Research Service occurred overnight on February 13, though exact numbers remain unspecified.

2. Washington, D.C. Metro Area:

   • Central hub for agencies like the Department of Education, OPM, and CFPB.
   • Over 100 OPM employees were terminated via a Microsoft Teams call on February 13, with building access revoked immediately.

3. Atlanta, GA:

   • CDC headquarters faced 1,300 probationary layoffs, affecting 10% of its workforce.

4. Chicago, IL:

   • Federal contractors and USDA staff in Lemont and surrounding collar counties reported layoffs, part of a statewide trend that saw 2,342 job cuts in January 2025.

5. Melbourne, FL / Arbor, MI:

   • Department of Energy foreign affairs specialists and VA supervisors in these regions received abrupt termination notices.

6. New York, NY:

   • Federal workers in financial oversight roles (e.g., CFPB examiners) were dismissed, with impacts on regional offices.

Broader Regional Impacts

• Pacific Northwest: U.S. Forest Service cuts affected wildfire response teams in Oregon and Washington.
• Southwest: Department of Energy layoffs impacted nuclear research facilities in New Mexico.
• Mid-Atlantic: EPA staff in Philadelphia and Baltimore faced 388 terminations.

Legal and Operational Controversies

Termination notices cited vague performance criteria, such as a DOE letter stating employees “have not demonstrated that further employment would be in the public interest”. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) denounced the process as “politically driven”, noting supervisors often learned of layoffs only after employees received emails.

There will also be serious economic repercussions:

• Kansas City: Economists warn that even a 10% reduction in federal jobs could eliminate 6,000 local positions due to lost consumer spending.
• CDC Cuts: Reduced staffing for disease surveillance and grant administration may delay public health responses.
• VA Healthcare: While the agency claims layoffs won’t affect veterans’ care, terminated researchers were working on opioid addiction and burn pit exposure studies.

By The Numbers

The table below is from the "Current Federal Civilian Employment by State and Congressional District • December 20, 2024" (Direct PDF) report. The fourth column is the value of the presently propsed 10% across-the-board headcount cut:

I deliberately avoided putting that into a scrollable <div> to help you "feel" the impact.

In 37 Districts, Federal civilian workforce members make up 5+% of employed humans. Ignoring the loss of expertise and the potential need to also shutdown or slow federal public services, how exactly is any region supposed to absorb such a massive reduction in force?

Does Riley Moore — GOP Representative for West Virginia's 2nd congressional district — truly believe his constituents are OK with the potential loss of nearly 2,300 workers?

Is Mike Turner — GOP Representative for Ohio's 10th congressional district — going to console the 2,213 soon-to-be terminated workers (and their families) when they have no food or shelter when the unemployment money runs ou?

Where will all these folks find new jobs? Does this Administration believe they will replace the migrant workers they're shipping to Guantenamo?

The Trump administration’s layoffs represent the most aggressive federal workforce reduction since the post-WWII era. While exact totals remain fluid, the involuntary termination of 10,000+ probationary employees — coupled with 75,000 voluntary resignations — has already disrupted operations in critical agencies. Municipalities with dense federal employment face cascading economic challenges, particularly in regions like Kansas City and Atlanta. Legal challenges from unions and potential congressional oversight could shape the initiative’s trajectory in coming months, but the current cuts are just the beginning. Trump has let the architects of Project 2025 loose, and they plan to eradicate 50% of the Federal civilian workforce by the end of this year.

If you have not yet read their Mandate For Leadersip you would do well to set aside some time — perhaps on President's Day — to do so.