The Trump administration’s efforts to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce appear on pace to surpass the record workforce reductions under the Clinton administration. The rapid-fire restructuring of major federal agencies, mass terminations, buyouts, and resignations, however, could see him achieve in mere months more than Clinton did in eight years.
During the 1990s, President Bill Clinton reduced the size of the federal civilian workforce from roughly 2.2 million to 1.8 million, largely through federal buyouts. Upper estimates put the figure at 426,200 federal jobs eliminated. That reduction stands as the largest cut to the federal headcount since World War II.