Federal Workforce Shrank by 12 Percent in Trump’s First Year Back in Office

The U.S. government’s civilian workforce shrank by about 12 percent over the first year of the second Trump administration, the latest federal data show. Figures updated on March 4 by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) indicate that as of Jan. 20, 2026, the federal civilian headcount stood at 2,035,344—a net decrease of 264,228 employees compared with the level on Jan. 20, 2025, right before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. The cuts were across federal departments, but the steepest reduction in absolute terms was at the Department of War, which shed a net 78,083 positions over the period. That was followed by the Treasury and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which eliminated a net 28,951 and 27,890 jobs, respectively. This is the first time since 2015 that the VA has not recorded a net increase in its workforce....