The rumors are everywhere. You've probably heard people talking about a "gutting" of the government or seen headlines claiming hundreds of thousands of people were suddenly out of a job. Honestly, it’s hard to keep track when the numbers flying around on social media don't always match what the actual agencies are reporting.
We are looking at a massive shift in how the American government works. It's not just talk anymore. As of January 2026, the numbers are finally becoming clear, and they are pretty staggering.
If you want the short version: the federal workforce has shrunk by about 10% in just one year. But the "how" and "why" behind those departures is a lot more complicated than a simple pink slip.
How Many Federal Employees Fired in 2025?
Basically, when you look at how many federal employees fired or otherwise removed, the total is around 322,049 people who left the federal workforce between January 20, 2025, and November 2025. That's a huge number. For context, there were about 2.3 million civilian employees in September 2024.
Now, "fired" is a tricky word in government-speak. Not everyone was marched out by security.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) used a mix of tactics to get these numbers down. About 75,000 workers took what was called the "Deferred Resignation Program" early on. Essentially, they were offered a deal to leave voluntarily with some benefits rather than risk being fired later.
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Then you have the actual terminations.
Early in 2025, the administration targeted "probationary" employees—those who had been on the job for less than a year. These folks don't have the same union protections as long-term civil servants. Thousands were let go with notices stating the agency "no longer has a need for your services." No long hearings. No complex appeals. Just a letter.
The Agencies Hit the Hardest
It wasn't a flat cut across the board. Some departments were basically hollowed out, while others barely felt a breeze.
- Department of Education: This one got hammered. It lost nearly 60% of its staff.
- USAID: Reports suggest almost the entire agency was cleared out, with a 90% to 95% reduction in headcount.
- The IRS: About 26,000 people are gone, roughly 27% of their 2024 workforce.
- HHS and EPA: Both saw massive exits, especially among scientists and researchers who feared their work was no longer wanted.
Interestingly, the Department of Defense only saw about an 8% reduction. It seems the "efficiency" cuts were focused heavily on social services, education, and environmental regulation rather than the military.
Why the Numbers Keep Changing
If you're confused by the stats, you're not alone. One week you hear 100,000, the next it’s 300,000.
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Part of this is because of "Schedule F." This was an executive order that stripped civil service protections from tens of thousands of employees, making them "at-will." It essentially turned career experts into political appointees who could be fired for any reason—or no reason at all.
Then there were the court battles.
Throughout 2025, judges were constantly pausing and unpausing these layoffs. In October 2025, during a record-long government shutdown, the administration tried to turn temporary furloughs into permanent firings. They sent layoff notices to over 4,000 people at agencies like the Treasury and Homeland Security. Unions sued, and by late December 2025, a federal judge ordered the government to nullify many of those terminations.
So, the "fired" count is a moving target. Some people were fired, sued, and got their jobs back—at least for now.
The "DOGE" Effect
You can't talk about these cuts without mentioning DOGE. Led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, this group was the engine behind the "Workforce Optimization Initiative."
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They didn't just fire people; they canceled contracts and grants. By October 2025, they claimed to have saved over $200 billion. However, independent trackers like the Partnership for Public Service say those numbers might be inflated. They point out that while thousands of people were fired, the "chaos" of the transitions actually led to some unforeseen costs and service delays.
For the average person, this looks like longer wait times for passports, slower responses from the Social Security Administration, and a lot of empty offices in D.C.
What This Means for You
If you're a federal employee—or looking to become one—the landscape has fundamentally shifted. The "job for life" era is effectively over.
The focus now is on what the administration calls "Merit Hiring," but critics call "loyalty testing." OPM has even faced lawsuits over "loyalty questions" in new job applications.
Here is the reality of the situation today:
- Protections are thin. If you are in a policy-related role, you are likely now "at-will."
- Private sector competition. The government is actively trying to outsource many roles to private contractors.
- Hiring is frozen. Unless you're in national security or public safety, don't expect many new openings. The "one hire for every four departures" rule is still largely in effect.
If you’re currently in the system and worried about your status, the best move is to document everything. Keep copies of your performance reviews—especially the ones from before 2025. Many employees were fired for "poor performance" despite having stellar reviews just months prior. Having a paper trail is your only real defense if a Reduction in Force (RIF) comes for your department next.
The civil service is smaller than it has been in decades. Whether that's "efficient" or "hollowed out" depends entirely on who you ask, but the data doesn't lie: over 300,000 people have left the building.