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Donald Trump brushed aside concerns about recent large-scale civil servant layoffs by suggesting that former federal employees had left behind a “boring federal job” for higher pay elsewhere.
The comments came during an extended briefing with reporters, where the president devoted more than an hour to defending workforce cuts and celebrating headcount reductions across government.
Trump positioned the shrinking federal payroll as proof that displaced employees were now thriving in the private sector. He claimed, without evidence, that many were earning “twice as much money, three times as much money” after leaving federal service.
He said, “We cut millions of people from the federal payroll - I don’t like doing that, but the good news is I don’t feel badly because now they’re getting private sector jobs and they’re getting some times twice as much money, three times as much money.”
He added, “They’re getting factory jobs; they’re getting much better jobs and much higher pay.”
Payroll cuts presented as a success story
His remarks were delivered at the start of a briefing framed around the administration’s first-year accomplishments. Trump read prepared comments stating that the federal payroll had shed 270,000 workers since his inauguration last January before inflating the figure to “millions” when veering off-script. The Office of Personnel Management has estimated federal job losses of 317,000 during fiscal 2025.
Trump described the departures as the result of intentional efforts to remove federal civil servants and insisted that the transition was beneficial. The briefing then pivoted into an extended defense of aggressive immigration enforcement and criticism of dissent inside federal agencies.
Meanwhile, analysts and state-level employment data point to a different picture. Some states with high concentrations of federal employees, including Maryland, have seen unemployment climb since Trump returned to Washington. The divergence between presidential rhetoric and labor market conditions has intensified scrutiny from workforce advocates and civil service alumni groups.
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Support networks mobilize as job losses mount
Early in Trump’s second term, federal agencies took rapid steps to reduce headcount. Leaders removed recently hired or promoted employees, urged workers to enroll in the deferred resignation program and carried out reductions in force that shuttered entire agencies and subcomponents.
Non-profits and informal alumni organizations have since expanded to help ousted employees make career transitions. Justice Connection, founded last year to support former Justice Department staff, coincidentally announced an expansion of its employee support network on Tuesday.
Executive Director Stacey Young said: “We work every day to support the countless DOJ employees who are fighting to stay in their jobs. But many have been ousted, and others are resigning in response to this administration’s senseless actions; Minnesota was just the latest example.”
Young added, “These employees often need help with their job searches, and this new initiative creates a way for DOJ alumni to provide it.”
