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- By Shivangi Sharma
- Mon, 29 Sep 2025 03:28 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
From Tuesday (Sep 30), about 100,000 federal workers are set to exit in what is being described as the largest mass resignation in American government history. By the end of the year, the number is projected to rise to 300,000, the most significant single-year reduction in the civilian federal workforce since World War II.
The numbers are staggering. For comparison, around 100,000 civilian jobs were cut between 1945 and 1946 after the war. In the 1990s, the Clinton administration’s “reinventing government” program eliminated 250,000 positions, but over a five-year period. The current exodus is happening in a single calendar year under the direction of President Donald Trump.
Why Are US Federal Workers Quitting Under Trump?
The resignations are tied to Trump’s deferred resignation program, which affects 275,000 employees across multiple agencies, according to the White House. The plan allows roughly 200,000 workers to receive full pay and benefits on administrative leave for up to eight months before separation.
A July report by Senate Democrats estimated the program’s cost at USD 14.8 billion. However, the administration argues it will save USD 28 billion annually. This is the biggest and most successful workforce reduction plan in history," said a White House spokesperson, noting that there is "no additional cost to the government" because workers would have been paid anyway.
Is US Headed For Government Shutdown?
The exodus wave occurs as Congress hustles toward a Tuesday deadline to fund the government and prevent a shutdown. Agencies have been directed to prepare for en masse dismissals if budget negotiations fail.
Several thousand more employees have already been cut through mandatory reductions in force ordered by the administration.
Many federal employees described feelings of fear and pressure behind their decision to leave. Those who accepted the deferred resignation spoke anonymously to protect future job prospects.
“Federal workers stay for the mission. When that mission is taken away, when they’re scapegoated, when their job security is uncertain, they leave,” said a longtime Federal Emergency Management Agency worker. “That’s why I left.”
The timing is fraught, as departing workers enter a weakening job market. The US unemployment rate rose to 4.3 per cent in August 2025, the highest since 2021, with just 22,000 new jobs created. Economists warn that such a massive government workforce reduction could deepen uncertainty already fueled by tariffs and market disruptions.
