THE COST OF CUTS

Jaw-Dropping Scale of Historic Exodus Under Trump Revealed

Black workers have been hit hardest by Trump’s cuts.

Nearly half a million federal workers have left government service since Donald Trump returned to the White House, in an exodus that has slashed the workforce at an unprecedented rate.

Around 426,000 full-time federal employees departed during Trump’s first 18 months in office—almost one in five of the workforce, a Washington Post analysis has found.

About 85 percent resigned or retired, while roughly 32,000 were fired outright.

The mass exodus follows Trump’s drive to slash the federal government, freeze hiring, and eliminate jobs under the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, which was led by billionaire Elon Musk.

The administration said the cuts would eliminate waste and fraud and make government leaner. But the scale of the departures is unprecedented.

By comparison, around one in seven federal employees left during Joe Biden’s presidency, while one in eight departed during Trump’s first term.

The biggest single-month exodus came in September 2025, when nearly 121,000 workers left as resignation and early-retirement incentives took effect.

FIRING FIASCO

Trump Forced Into Reversal After Mass Firing Mayhem

Martha McHardy

Even after new hires and reinstatements, the federal workforce shrank by 255,000 employees between December 2024 and June 2026—about 12 percent. The government has not been this small since Barack Obama’s first term.

And it is Black workers who have been hit the hardest.

The Post found that the number of Black people employed by the federal government fell by an estimated 30 percent between late 2024 and late 2025. Over the same period, federal employment among other racial groups declined by about 4 percent.

Play Video

Black Americans accounted for roughly 19 percent of the federal workforce in September 2024, when the government last published demographic figures. The Trump administration has since stopped releasing that data, ending a practice that had gone on for decades.

The decline comes amid the administration’s campaign to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government.

Planning documents obtained by The Post showed that DOGE identified 225 offices for closure as part of the drive, targeting more than 200 employees.

BAMBOOZLED

Elon Musk Gives Bizarre Explanation for Failed DOGE Mission

Ewan Palmer

More than half of the workers targeted in those plans were Black.

The Post also examined the fallout from a website launched by conservative advocacy group the American Accountability Foundation, which published a so-called “DEI Watchlist” naming 93 federal employees accused of promoting diversity initiatives.

The site published their names, salaries, employment histories, and photographs. About two-thirds of those listed were Black.

As of this month, 50 of the people named still worked for the government, while 15 had found jobs outside federal service. The remaining 28 were unemployed.

Black workers on the list were more likely to have lost their jobs and remain out of work. Twenty-three Black people named on the list were unemployed, compared with just two white people.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Martha McHardyReporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.