The federal workforce has seen a reduction of over 50,000 employees, with associated salary payments cut by nearly $2 billion in the first year of Donald Trump's second presidential term, according to a report from the taxpayer watchdog group OpenTheBooks.
The group's "Swamp Update" highlighted a decrease in the federal headcount from 1,506,603 to 1,452,891 between 2024 and 2025, marking a net loss of 53,712 government positions. Simultaneously, the federal payroll saw a reduction of $1.86 billion.
This stands in contrast to the final year of the previous administration, during which federal salaries increased by more than $10 billion and the federal workforce grew by over 13,000 employees.
The OpenTheBooks data excludes employees from the Department of War and the U.S. Postal Service, which collectively employ over 3 million military personnel and civilian staff.
Earlier in 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative spearheaded by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, reportedly led early layoffs and cuts. This effort included the shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), resulting in billions of dollars in program reductions and employee dismissals. Up to 3,500 employees departed federal roles at USAID, and its operations and remaining workforce were merged with the State Department.
Further reductions in federal employment and spending have been pursued by the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management. In December, OPM Director Scott Kupor stated that approximately 249,000 individuals had left federal employment across government agencies, with most departures being voluntary. Around 17,000 employees were terminated through "reductions in force" procedures.
While at least 94 federal agencies reduced their staff, 21 agencies reported an increase in hiring, and 11 maintained stable workforce numbers. The largest workforce reduction occurred within the Department of Veterans Affairs, which saw 21,428 employees leave. The Department of Health and Human Services cut 13,580 positions, and the Department of Education, an agency Trump had previously pledged to abolish, lost 1,518 workers, representing about 36% of its staff.
Conversely, the Department of Homeland Security experienced the most significant hiring increase, bringing on 8,043 new employees to support the administration's border security and deportation initiatives. The Departments of the Interior and Transportation also expanded their workforces, hiring over 3,000 and nearly 1,000 individuals, respectively.