Discover where Biden expanded the federal workforce

TL/DR –

The federal workforce has grown by nearly 6% during President Biden’s four years in office, including increases at almost every major agency. This increase is attributed to Biden’s campaign promise to restore the civil service, and is marked by the enactment of several key pieces of legislation and improved hiring processes. In contrast, President-elect Trump promises to reverse much of this growth, calling for reduced agency spending, easier termination of federal workers, incentivised attrition and potential widespread layoffs.

US Federal Workforce Sees 6% Growth Under President Biden’s Administration

Under President Biden, the permanent federal workforce has witnessed an almost 6% increase, including expansions in nearly all key agencies. This trend counters the actions of President-elect Trump, who oversaw a reduction in workforce across federal agencies. The growth signifies Biden’s fulfillment of a campaign promise to revive the civil service, which he claimed had been depleted by Trump.

Conversely, Trump began his first and second terms with assurances to cut agency staff. Even though he initiated a government-wide hiring freeze and tasked all agencies to devise staff reduction plans, the number of federal employees grew by 2% under his administration. This growth was primarily driven by three departments—Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Defense—masking reductions across several other departments and agencies.

Immediately following his election, Jen Psaki, a transition advisor, declared that career civil servants were vital to government operations. Biden prioritized rebuilding federal agencies that had been weakened due to several years of staffing reductions.

Biden signed into law important legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the PACT Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. These laws all contributed to agency workforce expansions. His executive actions aimed at improving hiring processes have also facilitated increased agency funding for most of his term.

Rob Shriver, acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management, highlighted the administration’s implementation of skills-based hiring, the use of shared job postings across multiple agencies, and the use of Artificial Intelligence for recruitment and onboarding at a recent White House event.

However, Trump is planning to reverse much of this growth, proposing reduced agency spending, easier termination of federal workers, incentivized attrition, and possible wide-scale layoffs. Efforts to streamline government efficiency will likely be led by Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Russ Vought, the expected Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Several key lawmakers have already voiced support for these measures.

The departments of State, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Treasury, and Energy witnessed the most significant growth under Biden’s administration. Conversely, the departments of Defense and Commerce experienced workforce reductions.

Biden prioritized growing the State Department’s workforce, leading to an unprecedented hiring boost after introducing new bureaus focused on cybersecurity and digital diplomacy. The HHS hired more staff for agencies that were heavily criticized under Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in workforce increases of 13%, 26%, and 34% at the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, respectively.

The Veterans Affairs Department, one of the few agencies that grew under Trump, added 100,000 employees over the last decade. The passing of the PACT Act enabled the VA to provide services to millions more veterans, leading to a record-setting hiring surge.

The Treasury Department, particularly the IRS, surged its workforce with funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. However, the future of this growth is uncertain as Republicans have vowed to rescind the funding and Trump plans to replace the current Commissioner, Danny Werfel.

The Small Business Administration and the Commerce Department experienced significant losses, likely due to temporary hiring surges during the COVID-19 pandemic and fluctuations relating to the decennial census.

The U.S. Agency for International Development saw the largest workforce increase, paralleling the State Department’s record-setting Foreign Service intake. The Environmental Protection Agency also grew by 10% under Biden’s administration.

The president-elect and his advisors have suggested relocating agencies and reducing telework availability will lead to greater attrition in the federal workforce. Musk and Ramaswamy have proposed offering buyouts and early retirement incentives to promote further workforce reduction, a strategy adopted by the EPA during Trump’s first term.

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