Federal agencies with majority women staff face largest cuts

What you probably already know: Tens of thousands of federal workers have had their careers thrown into limbo since the Trump administration took control of the Oval Office. Earlier this month, the New York Times estimated that at least 12% of the 2.4 million civilian federal employees could be impacted, though that figure could be higher once the dust settles. The executive branch’s latest attempt to downsize staff across 22 government agencies is currently in limbo after Judge Susan Illston of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California extended a freeze on President Trump’s plans. Ongoing legal challenges and court orders have reversed many layoffs, while other workers are currently on paid administrative leave as they wait to see what happens next. Amid the confusion and turmoil, many workers have moved on to explore opportunities elsewhere, but some groups face a steeper uphill climb than others.

Why? A new analysis published by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) found that women and people of color are likely to be disproportionately harmed by the federal workforce cuts. More than 2.3 million people, including 1.1 million women, worked for the U.S. government as of September 2024, according to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. While women accounted for 46% of the overall federal workforce at that time, they held majorities in multiple agencies that are among those facing the most radical staffing reductions. Women make up 64% of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ workforce, which the Trump administration wants to cut by 15%. Trump signed an executive order aimed at shutting down the Department of Education, where women employees hold a 63% majority. Other agencies staffed mostly by women that have been targeted for mass layoffs include the departments of State, Defense, Treasury, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development. Women made up 59% of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been effectively shuttered.

What it means: While federal jobs often pay less than their private sector counterparts, they have historically offered other significant benefits such as job security and stability, upward growth and promotion opportunities, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and union representation. For many, particularly Black Americans, women, and other minorities, federal employment has provided pathways to the middle class that the private sector lacked. Under the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, this legacy of fair treatment and middle-class opportunity has fallen under attack, according to the NWLC. Transitioning into the private sector leaves women and people of color “more vulnerable to discriminatory firings and at risk of their benefits being terminated,” the NWLC said. They may also face larger gender and racial wage gaps than those seen within the federal government.

What happens next: Judge Illston’s ruling last week placed an indefinite pause on new layoff notices, extending an earlier halt to Trump’s Feb. 11 executive order. Illston is considering a lawsuit brought by a coalition of labor unions, nonprofits, and local governments that alleges the Trump administration lacks the authority to overhaul the federal workforce without Congress’s approval. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene. Illson’s order also bars agencies from formally separating employees who have already been placed on administrative leave, calling for those workers to remain on paid leave until a decision in the lawsuit is reached.