The Discarded
In his first full year back in office, Donald Trump presided over the destruction of America’s civil service, purging roughly 300,000 workers.
January 22, 2026
30 min
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338 of 364
Episode 166 · January 22, 2026
The Discarded
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The Atlantic Episodes Around January 22, 2026
Episode 338 of 364 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
30:26This episodeThe Discarded
Summary
Last year, there was a mass exodus of federal workers: Some were pushed out, while others left on their own. All in all, more than 300,000 Americans left government jobs. The Atlantic staff writer Franklin Foer spent months talking to dozens of them, finding out who they were, what they did, and ultimately what, as a country, we may have lost.
Read Foer’s full story: “The Purged.”
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