Federal Govt Slashed by Over 22,000 Across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia

The federal workforce still stands at over 2 million, but we are only six months into a four-year term.

By Samuel Short

July 21, 2025

The number are in, and the Trump administration appears to be making good on its promise to reduce the size of the federal government.

President Donald Trump created his Department of Government Efficiency for just that purpose, and as of May, over 22,000 federal workers around Washington, D.C., have been given walking papers.

Bloomberg’s numbers from Friday put the workforce at 22,100 less than it was when Trump took office in January.

Federal Workforce Has Shed Some 22,000 Workers in Area Around DC

The federal government workforce in and around the nation’s capital has shrunk by about 22,100 in the year through May, a new report shows, and that number is poised to mount.

Federal workers across Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia found themselves particularly vulnerable to the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce government jobs and spending.

Maryland saw the steepest decline in its federal workforce, dropping 5.4%, followed by Virginia, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia saw particularly steep declines.

Maryland's workforce is 5.4 percent federal, with Virginia's sitting at 4.4 percent.

Unsurprisingly, Washington, D.C.’s workforce is 24.6 percent federal.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Maryland lost 5.4 percent of that workforce, Virginia lost 4.8, and D.C. lost 1.9.

Unemployment claims in those areas reflect those figures.

"Like most presidential transitions, initial unemployment claims rose in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia since January. D.C. proper experienced its first major increase in mid-January, with the highest number of claims filed during the week of Feb. 15," the entity said.

"Maryland experienced its most abrupt spike during that same week, with a 334.8 percent increase from the week before, and another 400 percent weekly increase reported on May 10. Virginia experienced its highest number of initial claims on the weeks of March 1 and April 5."

Clearly, President Trump has been busy.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management put out a news release July 1, boasting a number similar to the Federal Reserve Bank's at over 23,000.

“This data marks the first measurable step toward President Trump's vision of a disciplined, accountable federal workforce and it's only the beginning," Acting Director Chuck Ezell said.

The release said October will also be an important month for reductions due to the Deferred Resignation Program.

The federal workforce still stands at over 2 million, but we are only six months into a four-year term.

The late President Bill Clinton shrank the federal workforce from 2.2 million to 1.8 million.

READ MORE: Chronology of Deep State Assets executed by the US Military (Part II – Bill Clinton)

Clinton's work as a Democrat proves that saving taxpayers money should not be a partisan issue, even though it is.

Democrats stirred themselves into a whirlwind in disbelief that President Trump would have the audacity to fire overpaid bureaucrats.

Sure, not everyone released is worthy of that title, but we simply cannot continue down this path.

Democrats should remember recent history before lashing out at President Trump so harshly. Clinton did it, President Trump's doing it.

Workforce reductions and maximizing efficiency shouldn't inspire people to violence and derangement like we've seen since these cuts were happening.

Notably, federal government employment comprises a significant portion of the total employment in Maryland (5.4 percent), Virginia (4.4 percent), and Washington, D.C. (24.6 percent).

As a result of workforce reduction initiatives implemented by President Donald J. Trump, including some cuts enacted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Maryland has seen a 5.4 percent decrease in federal employment.

DOGE Cancels Billions in Federal Contracts

Meanwhile, Virginia has seen a 4.8 percent decline, though the District of Columbia has only seen a 1.9 percent drop.

“There is evidence that the attempt to shrink the federal workforce is having an impact on the DMV region of the Fifth District,” the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond study states, concluding:

“On net, federal employment in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia has declined by roughly 22,100 positions, and there has been a sustained increase in unemployment claims, particularly in D.C. proper.”

The number of federal layoffs is likely to increase exponentially after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court order that previously blocked the Trump administration from cutting workforces across 19 federal departments and agencies.

Only one justice dissented, suggesting that President Trump will ultimately prevail in a final ruling by the high court.

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