Federal Jobs Helped Black workers Find Stable Work with Guardrails to Prevent Bias, but Mass Cuts are Threatening Decades of Upward Mobility
For decades, federal jobs have provided Black workers with stable careers and protections against bias, helping many enter the middle class. However, sweeping job cuts under the Trump administration now threaten that financial stability.
Federal employment has historically offered Black workers an alternative to the private sector, where hiring discrimination remains prevalent. These jobs provided pathways to homeownership, higher education for children, and overall economic security. However, with mass layoffs and buyouts eliminating thousands of positions, that pathway is closing.
Massive Job Cuts Disproportionately Impact Black Workers
The federal government, the nation’s largest employer, has already seen at least 75,000 workers accept buyouts, with thousands more fired. Many terminations have targeted newer hires or been justified by claims of poor performance.
The Department of Education, a major employer of Black workers, faces possible closure. Nearly 30% of its workforce is Black, and recent layoffs have disproportionately affected them. At the Department of Health and Human Services, 20% of the staff was Black before 1,300 layoffs. Similarly, the Department of Veterans Affairs has lost 1,000 employees, 24% of whom were Black.
“Federal jobs were essential to building the Black middle class,” said Sheria Smith, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252. “Now, that foundation is crumbling.”
DEI Rollbacks and the Disappearance of Hiring Protections
One of Trump’s first actions upon returning to office was dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, framing them as harmful “ideologies.” These rollbacks have made it easier to dismiss Black workers, despite claims that job cuts aren’t directly tied to DEI policies.
“The federal government helped level the playing field against private-sector discrimination,” said Marcus Casey of the Brookings Institution. “These cuts threaten to undo decades of progress.”
Workers with disabilities, often protected under DEI initiatives, also face uncertainty. Verdine’s daughter and daughter-in-law, both employed at the Food and Drug Administration, worry their jobs could be eliminated at any moment.
A Demoralized Workforce Faces an Uncertain Future
A Department of Transportation worker in Washington, D.C., shared his fears of being next. “Morale is at an all-time low. People who should be here are gone. Everyone is waiting for the next shoe to drop.”
Ros Patterson, a 62-year-old Veterans Administration employee, was abruptly fired and forced into early retirement. “I wasn’t left with a choice,” she said. Now relying on food stamps and Medicaid, she regrets how the layoffs were handled. “You’d expect the government to do better.”
While the Trump administration has not responded to requests for comment, the pattern is clear: the systematic shrinking of the federal workforce is disproportionately affecting Black employees, leaving many without the stability they once relied on. As cuts continue, the Black middle class faces an uncertain future.
