DOGE Bites Hard: Federal Government Now Shrunk by 12 Percent

The federal government has grown into an imperial colossus, and no politician in either party has seemed inclined to do much about it; Washington has always seemed to operate on the idea that if some is good, more is better, and that presumption extends into civilian employees. That is, it did, until now. The federal workforce is actually shrinking, and the number from late 2024 to January 2026 is now up to 12 percent of the workforce, most having left voluntarily. That, folks, is what we call a good start. President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) efforts to

The federal government has grown into an imperial colossus, and no politician in either party has seemed inclined to do much about it; Washington has always seemed to operate on the idea that if some is good, more is better, and that presumption extends into civilian employees. That is, it did, until now. The federal workforce is actually shrinking, and the number from late 2024 to January 2026 is now up to 12 percent of the workforce, most having left voluntarily. That, folks, is what we call a good start. President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) efforts to