How Trump, Musk, & DOGE’s Attacks on Federal Workers Hurts All of Us

Many federal workers have been fired, laid off, placed on leave, or pressured into resigning as part of the Trump administration and so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) work to dismantle the federal government. These attacks on the federal workforce are intended to weaken or eliminate crucial programs that women and families rely on.

While Elon Musk and Donald Trump are proud to boast about these mass firings to their followers, the administration is making it difficult to track the exact number of federal workers who have been fired. NWLC has relied on available news coverage to track these numbers to the best of our ability.

See below for an estimate for the number of federal workers per department who have been fired and the offices and programs that may be impacted. Click here for a more detailed report about how these attacks on the federal workforce are impacting women, children, families.

Many lawsuits have been filed challenging the legality of mass federal firings. While the U.S. Supreme Court recently lifted a lower court ruling to block the terminations, it did not issue a decision on their legality. As several other lawsuits move forward, it is difficult to estimate the exact number of employees who would be impacted if the challenges are successful. The below numbers reflect the best current estimates, though these may change in response to court rulings. 

Last updated: 8/26/2025

Click here for a more detailed report about how these attacks on the federal workforce are impacting women, children, families.

See below for an estimate for the number of federal workers per department who have been fired and the offices and programs that may be impacted:

Department of Education

Total Firings: roughly 1,400, with plans to eliminate the department entirely. 

Offices and Programs Potentially Impacted:

  • Office of Civil Rights
  • Pell Grants and Scholarships
  • Work Study Programs
  • Programs supporting access to higher education
  • K-12 teacher preparation
  • Grants for students with disabilities
  • Grants for low-income students

These firings, along with plans to eliminate the entire Department, will hinder the Department’s ability to enforce civil rights protections regarding sexual harassment and discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, sexual orientation, and disability. These firings may also impact access to quality K-12 and higher education for students across the country.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Total Firings: 1,500 staff are expected to be fired; the decision was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Offices and Programs Potentially Impacted:

  • Enforcement of regulations that prevent banks, lenders, and other financial institutions from engaging in predatory and discriminatory practices
  • Pursuit of consumer redress, civil monetary penalties, and enforcement actions
  • Enforcement of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibiting creditors from discriminating against credit applicants
  • Address the hurdles domestic violence survivors face to their credit when leaving an abusive situation.
  • Address harmful data broker practices that invade our privacy and violate our rights.

Gutting the CFPB would make it easier for banks, credit card companies, for-profit colleges, and other financial institutions to take advantage of or discriminate against U.S. consumers.

Department of Agriculture

Total Firings: The agency has seen a reduction of 21,564 employees.

Offices and Programs Potentially Impacted: 

  • Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
  • Food Aid Program
  • Food Distribution Disaster Assistance Program
  • National School Lunch Program
  • Child and Adult Care Food Program
  • Summer Food Service Program
  • Emergency Food Assistance Program
  • Food Safety Recalls and Research

Firings at USDA could disrupt the provision of nutrition assistance to women, children, and families with low incomes who face food insecurity, disaster relief, and the nation’s response to the bird flu epidemic.

Department of Health and Human Services

Total Firings: 13,448 staff, including about 600 CDC staff receiving final termination notices. 

Firings from March 27 announcement:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: At least 600 CDC employees received final termination notices.
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: 300 employees—or about 4% of its workforce. 

Other announcements of past firings:

  • National Institute of Health: 2,000 staff
  • Centers for Disease Control: 1,300 staff
  • Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care: 20% of staff 

Internal Revenue Service

Total Firings: 26,000 employees have been fired or voluntarily separated, though the agency may recall some workers because staff reductions are impacting the critical work at the IRS

Offices and Programs Potentially Impacted:

  • Tax filing support for middle and low-income taxpayers
  • Enforcement against wealthy tax cheats
  • Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
  • Child Tax Credit (CTC)

Department of Labor

Total Firings: An estimated 2,700 staff took a form of voluntary departure, though the exact number of fired staff is unreported

Offices and Programs Potentially Impacted:

  • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Federal labor law compliance
  • Family and Medical Leave guidance
  • Women’s Bureau
  • National Database of Childcare Prices
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Department of Labor is tasked with ensuring workers’ safety and rights, as well as their employers’ compliance with federal labor laws.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Total Firings: 50% of all staff (planned) 

Offices and Programs Potentially Impacted:

These firings will lead to longer waitlists for housing assistance; inspection delays; delays in payments to landlords and vendors, risking evictions; delays in critical disaster aid; closing homeless shelters; and housing discrimination.

Social Security Administration

Total Firings: 7,000 (planned)

Offices and Programs Potentially Impacted:

  • Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits
  • Medicare Parts A and B

These firings threaten the smooth operation of one of the most efficient and important government agencies, upon which millions of people rely.

Find out more how these attacks on the federal workforce are impacting women, children, families in our detailed report.

Report