Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES—Selected updates on the state of federal workers, including gender and racial impacts, (May 7, 2025)
Organizations Mentioned:American Federation of Government Employees | National Women's Law Center
By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.
Women made up a majority of the workforce in several independent agencies that have been targeted for large-scale reductions and eliminations, including the NLRB, EEOC, and SSA.
Yesterday, the National Women’s Law Center released the results of a new report that reveals that women and people of color comprise the majority of the federal workers in departments that are being targeted by the Trump administration.
“The administration’s attack on the federal workforce is an attack on economic opportunities and the progress this country has made in leveling the playing field. These rapid, large-scale cuts and terminations disproportionately harm women and people of color,” said Sarah Javaid, author of the report and senior research analyst at NWLC. “Federal jobs have long provided a path to the middle class—especially for Black workers, women and others who face workplace discrimination—because of their stability, union representation, opportunities for promotion, workplace benefits, and commitment to fair and transparent pay. But Trump is hellbent on furthering his anti-diversity, anti-equity, anti-inclusion agenda that not only harms workers, but cuts agencies that serve all of us.”
Greater impact on some. According to the report, while women made up 46 percent of the federal workforce generally in September 2024, they have represented a “substantial majority” of the workforce in the five Cabinet-level departments that have been targeted so far for Trump’s large-scale layoffs: Veterans Affairs (VA) (64 percent); Education (63 percent); Health and Human Services (HHS) (63 percent); Treasury (61 percent); and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (59 percent).
Women also made up a majority of the workforce in several independent agencies that have been targeted for large-scale reductions and eliminations, including among them the NLRB (61 percent); EEOC (62 percent); and SSA (66 percent). Furthermore, women made up a greater share of probationary workers, a group of workers that the Trump administration has sought to eliminate entirely.
People of color made up 41 percent of the overall federal workforce in September 2024, but they made up a majority of workers in HUD (56 percent), the Department of Education (54 percent), Treasury (54 percent), and HHS (52 percent). Moreover, Black workers make up 36 percent of the workforce in Education and HUD, which is double their representation in the federal workforce in general (18 percent).
As layoffs continue, AFGE struggles. In other news, federal employee layoffs and departures continue to be announced, and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which has filed many suits on behalf of the federal workers, reportedly has also felt the impact internally—laying off over half of its staff because of the impact of Trump’s policies—while vowing to continue its work. “We will not be deterred, silenced or intimidated into submission,” AFGE has stated of its internal layoffs. “Whether it’s in the courts, on Capitol Hill, or in the press, AFGE will continue to stand tall and defend the rights of America’s civil servants as long as it takes.”
Additional federal workforce cuts announced or discussed recently:
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) notified employees last week that supervisors would be terminated in early June and union employees in early July.
According to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), more than 11,000 IRS employees were approved for the deferred resignation program as of March, representing 11 percent of its workforce. The hardest hit group were revenue agents (31 percent).
Reportedly as many as two-thirds of the lawyers in the DOJ civil rights division have left or have been reassigned.
The Department of Transportation reportedly informed employees last week of additional anticipated layoffs.
AFGE is urging people to show their support for public workers, particularly as this week is Public Service Recognition Week. “There could be a no more critical time than now to recognize the dedicated public servants who work tirelessly every day to maintain our government programs and services and to ensure the safety and prosperity of everyone who calls this country home,” AFGE President Everett Kelley stated. “The current administration is moving at warp speed to slash staffing at federal agencies and gut any protections workers have against mismanagement and mistreatment. And make no mistake – even if you are not a federal worker or a member of a federal family, the drastic cuts being carried out at our federal agencies will affect everyone in this country.”
News: PublicEmployees AgencyNews Layoffs Discrimination Reports LaborNews Labor