US Set for Biggest Federal Worker Resignation in History

More than 100,000 US federal workers will quit next Tuesday. This will be the largest mass resignation in US history. The resignations are part of President Trump’s plan to reduce the federal workforce.

Meanwhile, Congress must pass a funding bill or risk a government shutdown. If they don’t, agencies have been told to ready plans for mass firings.

Why Workers Are Leaving

Many say they feel pushed out by fear and stress:

• A FEMA worker: “We stay for the mission. But when the mission is gone … people leave.”
  
• A VA employee: said they left partly for mental health, after working extreme hours with no balance.

The Cost and What the Government Says

• The program will cost $14.8 billion, paying 200,000 workers full pay and benefits while on leave for up to eight months.
  
• The White House claims it will save $28 billion per year in the long run.
  
• Officials argue the government should have fewer job protections, more like private companies.

The Scale of Departures

• About 275,000 federal workers are expected to leave through resignations, retirements, or layoffs.
  
• This is the largest drop in civilian federal jobs since World War II.
  
• Thousands more have already been laid off under Trump’s orders.

Stories from the Workers

People rally in support of federal workers in Washington in March. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/Reuters Source

• A USDA archaeologist and veteran said they resigned out of fear and pressure, worried daily about being fired.
  
• Trump’s budget director, Russell Vought, said last year: “We want federal workers to wake up not wanting to go to work … We want to put them in trauma.”
  
• Another USDA employee said they were fired, rehired, then forced to resign. They described working in constant uncertainty.
  

Things Get Hard Outside

• The US unemployment rate in August 2025 was 4.3%, the highest since 2021.
  
• Only 22,000 new jobs were added that month.
  

One former VA worker said: “It’s good not to work 70 hours a week, but you lose your support system. People judge you for leaving.”

Legal Action

Workers’ unions sued. They say the resignation program is not truly voluntary and it hurts government operations by pushing out experienced staff.

Union leader Everett Kelley said:

“Removing career employees will have huge consequences for Americans who depend on a functioning government.”

✅ Bottom line: Trump’s cuts and pressure have triggered the biggest wave of federal resignations ever. While the government says it will save money, many workers feel they were forced out by fear, stress, and uncertainty.

To read the full news article, see this source:
“US set for largest mass resignation in history as Trump continues deep cuts” — The Guardian