DOGE Fed Cuts Are Necessary: Glenn Youngkin

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks to Bloomberg Radio and Television about President Trump's economic and political priorities. Youngkin remains optimistic that a deal will be reached, despite the challenges posed by Trump’s tariff policy and the recent 90-day pause. He also says DOGE cuts to the federal government workforce are necessary.

The Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the US government amounted to more than 280,000 planned layoffs of federal workers and contractors across 27 agencies over the past two months, according to data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Ripple effects from the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, also resulted in more than 4,400 job-cuts announcements at employers who rely on federal aid or contracts, mainly nonprofit and health organizations, Challenger said in a report Thursday.

Challenger compiles announced layoffs, and it is unclear whether they will all translate into job losses. But the firm said its tally doesn’t include tens of thousands of firings of probationary federal employees that have been challenged in court — including workers who have been recalled.

Overall job-cut announcements by US employers totaled 275,240 in March, a 205% increase from last year and largely due to the DOGE actions. It’s the highest number reported for any March and third-highest monthly total since Challenger began reporting job-cut plans in 1989.

“Job cut announcements were dominated last month by Department of Government Efficiency plans to eliminate positions in the federal government,” Andrew Challenger, senior vice president for the firm, said in a release. “It would have otherwise been a fairly quiet month for layoffs.”

The latest major cuts were at the Department of Health and Human Services, where Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eliminated 10,000 employees on Tuesday.

Although new applications for unemployment benefits filed by federal employees spiked for two weeks in February, they have since come down to levels close to their 18-month average. Some fired workers may not be seeking benefits because they’ve been rehired, are still collecting severance pay, or courts are deciding their status as probationary workers.

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