Unemployment claims up in DC, VA as Trump administration lays off more federal workers
Unemployment claims increase in DC, VA following federal layoffs
As President Donald Trump continues to make unprecedented layoffs across the federal government, unemployment is expected to rise significantly in the DMV. Just four weeks into Trump’s crusade to cut federal employees, one analyst tells FOX 5 that this may just be the first wave of increasing unemployment in the region.
WASHINGTON - As President Donald Trump continues to make unprecedented layoffs across the federal government, unemployment is expected to rise significantly in the DMV. Just four weeks into Trump’s crusade to cut federal employees, one analyst tells FOX 5 that this may just be the first wave of increasing unemployment in the region.
The federal government is the largest employer in the country and the new administration has warned federal agencies that their efforts to reduce staff will be intensified in the coming months.
Just last week, agencies were told to fire their probationary employees — those who are still in their probationary period with the federal government, meaning they have recently been hired for their position and are essentially undergoing a "trial" period. That move is expected to impact over 200,000 employees.
The layoffs come weeks after the Trump administration offered federal employees a "buyout" option. The deal was that any federal employee who resigned would receive "all pay and benefits" until Sept. 30. According to the Office of Personnel Management, approximately 75,000 employees accepted the deferred resignation proposal as of Feb. 12.
The Partnership for Public Service reports that of the 2.4 million federal workers, about 20% live and work in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
D.C. and Virginia are both reporting upticks in unemployment filings and while Maryland registered a slight decrease, Sen. Chris Van Hollen tells FOX 5 that he expects his state’s unemployment rolls to start feeling the impact of these federal layoffs soon.
Unemployment In D.C., Maryland, Virginia
By the numbers:
The U.S. Department of Labor reports for the week ending Feb. 8 — the latest unemployment data — unemployment claims in D.C. rose by 36% and Virginia increased by 12%. Maryland saw a 5% dip in unemployment.
In the past six weeks, D.C. has seen nearly 7,000 applications for unemployment, according to the Department of Labor. That’s about 55% more than the previous six-week period.
Chip Lupo, an analyst at WalletHub, said it’s highly likely that the federal worker layoffs inflated that number.
"Since President Trump took office, some 4,000 employees have filed for unemployment insurance in D.C., and it’s a pretty good bet that a lot of those were federal workers who are being purged," Lupo said.
In Virginia, some 16,600 applications for unemployment have been filed since the beginning of the year. In the week ending Feb. 8, nearly 3,000 applications were submitted — an increase of about 10% from the prior week.
In contrast, the total number of claims across the U.S. for the same week decreased slightly, a change of about 1%, following the general trend that’s been seen over the past several months.
Federal Workers Speak Out
What they're saying:
At the Department of Human Services on Wednesday, federal workers protested layoffs.
The spike in claims in D.C. and Virginia comes as no surprise to many who have spent years working in D.C. Metro. One federal worker, who did not want to use his full name, told FOX 5 that he’s also been warned his job may be cut.
"Both of those job markets are already saturated. I mean biotech is laying people off. There are some jobs available but there’s such a huge group of people in Bethesda," Ian, a probationary employee, told FOX 5 while at the protest.
Town hall meetings have also been held across the D.C. Metro in the past few days to support federal workers impacted by Trump’s efforts to shrink the government. One was held in Silver Spring on Wednesday, led by Maryland Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen, along with Rep. Jamie Raskin.
"The way they’re doing now…it was the ax and sledgehammer, wiping out whole sections. I think they’re only interested in headcount and not really looking at what functions do you really want to delete," attendee Calvin Moy said.
A couple hundred people were in attendence, hoping to make their voices heard.
MD leaders hold town hall to address federal workers amid layoffs
Maryland leaders held a town hall meeting in Silver Spring tonight, hoping to address concerns federal workers have as the Trump administration continues to push more layoffs. FOX 5's Julie Donaldson was there to hear what they had to say.
"I feel very badly for the probationary employees that are being let go," said Nancy Hadad. "They are the young people of this country. They are the smartest people, and they are basically getting rid of the future of the government."
The meeting lasted over an hour and emotions in the room were high, with people demanding answers from their elected officials on what is being done.
"As to the actions we’re taking to try to put an end to these illegal actions being taken by Elon Musk, we’re fighting them in the courts, fighting them in Congress and these town halls help create momentum from the public to also shut down that operation," Sen. Van Hollen said.
Several lawsuits have already been filed attempting to block Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce and information was provided on how to join them.
"There are more than a dozen lawsuits where we’ve gotten preliminary injunction or temporary restraining orders but you almost have to go department by department agency by agency to see exactly what’s happening and what kind of success we’ve been able to have," Rep. Raskin said.
Many attendees who either lost their job recently or knew of friends that had told FOX 5 they found the manner in which the cuts have been carried out "extremely surprising."
Why is the Trump administration firing federal employees?
Big picture view:
Following a promise made on the campaign trail, President Trump quickly signed an executive order to establish the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The department is led by Elon Musk with the purported goals of cutting waste and increasing transparency and accountability within the government.
The layoffs have been part of the department’s efforts to "maximize governmental efficiency and productivity." They say they’re seeking to root out waste and fraud among employees.
Both Musk and Trump have also railed against and in some cases villainized the federal workforce. In an interview with FOX News, Musk pointed to Kamala Harris winning 92% of the D.C. vote in 2024, saying it’s evidence of an anti-Trump bureaucracy in D.C.
"Speaking of unelected, there’s a vast federal bureaucracy that is implacably opposed to the the president and the Cabinet," Musk told FOX News. "And you look at, say, D.C. voting. It’s 92 percent Kamala. Okay, so we’re in 92 percent Kamala. That’s a lot."
Maryland Sen. Van Hollen, says Musk is an unelected leader and claims that the layoffs are hurting both the DMV economy and national intrest, which he says it "why we are fighting this to prevent it from getting worse and working to reverse many of these things that have already happened."
The Source: FOX 5 reporting, the Department of Labor, the Associated Press, FOX News