OpenFeds Analysis
Agency-by-Agency: Where 280,000 Federal Workers Went
Not all agencies were cut equally. USAID lost 85% of its workforce while VA lost just over 1%. Here's how each major agency was affected, what methods were used, and what the consequences look like.
📊The Big Picture
Agencies ranked by percentage of workforce eliminated:
🏛️Agency Details
USAID
85% cutEffectively shut down. Secretary of State Rubio placed the agency under State Dept. control. Courts ordered some reinstatements but the agency is a shell of its former self.
Current status: Most functions transferred to State Dept. Ongoing litigation.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
60% cutNear-shutdown. Director effectively halted all enforcement actions. Workforce cut by 60%.
Current status: Minimal operations. Legal challenges ongoing.
Dept. of Education
50% cutAdministration signaled intent to abolish the department entirely. Half the workforce gone through a combination of RIFs and voluntary exits.
Current status: Legislation pending. Student loan servicing disrupted.
General Services Administration
48% cutNearly half the agency cut. Then had to scramble to find office space for ICE expansion. A case study in cutting before thinking.
Current status: Rehiring for ICE support. Lease management in chaos.
Small Business Administration
40% cutDisaster loan processing severely impacted. SBA lending programs slowed.
Current status: Disaster loan backlog significant.
EPA
39% cutEnvironmental enforcement teams decimated. Regional offices closed or consolidated. Permit review timelines extended.
Current status: Industry groups reporting faster permits; environmental groups suing.
Health & Human Services (HHS)
33% cutThe largest absolute reduction. NIH, CDC, and FDA all took significant hits. Research grants frozen, public health infrastructure hollowed out.
Current status: Rehiring some critical positions. NIH grant backlog growing.
IRS / Treasury
28% cutPost-tax-season layoffs began May 2025. Wiped out much of the Inflation Reduction Act hiring surge. Customer service wait times increasing.
Current status: Seasonal rehiring for tax season. Enforcement capacity reduced.
Dept. of Energy
27% cutNational lab workforce largely protected. Cuts concentrated in clean energy programs and administrative functions.
Current status: Lab operations stable. Clean energy programs frozen.
Social Security Administration
6% cutRelatively light cuts percentage-wise, but on an already understaffed agency. Field office closures affecting beneficiaries.
Current status: Wait times at field offices up 40%. Claims backlog growing.
Veterans Affairs
1.2% cutAs the largest civilian agency, VA was largely shielded. Cuts focused on administrative roles, not healthcare delivery.
Current status: Healthcare delivery mostly maintained. Admin backlogs increasing.
🔑Key Patterns
Pattern 1: Ideological targeting
Agencies with missions the administration opposed (EPA, Education, CFPB, USAID) faced disproportionately deep cuts. National security and law enforcement agencies were largely spared.
Pattern 2: Cut now, think later
GSA cut half its workforce, then had to scramble to support ICE expansion. IRS cut enforcement, then rehired seasonal workers. Planning was… minimal.
Pattern 3: Some cuts made sense
Administrative bloat in some agencies was real. Consolidating redundant functions and reducing management layers in agencies with top-heavy org charts addressed legitimate inefficiency.