WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has reduced the federal workforce by roughly 50,000 employees and lowered salary spending by nearly $2 billion during its first year, according to new figures released by a taxpayer watchdog organization.
OpenTheBooks detailed the changes in a Monday report titled the “Swamp Update,” showing that the number of federal workers fell from 1,506,603 in 2024 to 1,452,891 in 2025. That marks 53,712 fewer government employees under President Trump than during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
The same data shows that federal payroll costs declined by $1.86 billion in the first year of Trump’s second term.
By comparison, Biden’s final year in the White House brought a sharp increase in government spending on personnel, with federal salaries rising by more than $10 billion and the workforce expanding by over 13,000 employees.
The watchdog’s analysis does not include staffing levels or salary totals for the Department of War or the US Postal Service, which together account for more than 3 million active-duty and reserve service members, along with civilian employees.
A major driver of the early 2025 reductions was the Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk before the office formally ended operations in July. The initiative helped launch sweeping layoffs and budget cuts, including the closure of the US Agency for International Development and the elimination of billions of dollars in programs.
As many as 3,500 USAID employees left their federal jobs amid the overhaul, while the agency’s building was closed and its remaining functions and staff were folded into the State Department.
Additional efforts to cut federal spending and shrink the government workforce have continued through the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management.
Last December, OPM Director Scott Kupor claimed that across the government at least 249,000 people had left federal employment — with most doing so voluntarily and around 17,000 being fired, a so-called “reductions in force” termination.
According to OpenTheBooks, at least 94 federal agencies reduced staff, but 21 agencies hired more workers and 11 didn’t alter their workforce numbers.
The largest workforce reduction occurred in the Department of Veterans Affairs, with 21,428 employees leaving government service.
The Department of Health and Human Services also axed 13,580 employees, and the Department of Education, which Trump pledged to abolish, lost 1,518 workers — about 36% of its workforce.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security experienced the largest hiring spree, with 8,043 workers joining its ranks to carry out Trump’s mass deportations and border security agenda.
The Departments of Interior and Transportation also hired more than 3,000 and nearly 1,000 workers, respectively.
