Layoffs at Bloated Federal Agencies Versus the Impact of Private Sector Layoffs Caused by the Federal Government

When Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently laid off 1,350 employees as part of a broader restructuring effort, the media response was swift and emotional. Stories of tearful farewells, union outrage, and dramatic claims of “fascism” filled the airwaves. One would think these federal employees had lifetime appointments and that accountability or right-sizing government were foreign concepts.

But this moment deserves a broader lens. Government job losses, while painful, are not unique. Nor are they the most damaging.

The State Department’s workforce had grown from 57,340 in 2007 to over 80,000 by 2024. The recent layoffs represent just a fraction, less than 2%, of the total. They were part of a legitimate effort by the Trump-Rubio administration to streamline bureaucracy, eliminate redundant offices, and align the Department with core national priorities, cutting positions tied to DEI, climate alarmism, and fringe ideological programs.

Yet while federal layoffs dominate headlines, there is deafening silence when government policies destroy jobs in the private sector.

Where was the national outrage when President Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline on Day One, killing as many as 11,000 blue-collar jobs overnight? Where were the candlelight vigils for the 80,000 coal workers displaced during the Obama years, victims of regulatory assaults and a politicized “war on coal”? Instead of assistance, they were told to “learn to code.”

In one striking example, the Navajo Nation lost 700 good jobs and $40 million annually when its coal plant and mine were shut down, not a peep from the same journalists now mourning federal layoffs. So much for environmental justice for Native Americans.

The hypocrisy goes further. When COVID lockdowns, imposed by government decree, destroyed thousands of restaurants, gyms, and mom-and-pop stores, costing millions of jobs, the coverage of job losses was sparse. Military personnel were dismissed for vaccine refusals (which turned out to be a reasonable position considering the myocarditis and other vaccine risks for young men and women who had little to fear from contracting the virus) but there were no national sympathy tours for them either.

Even worse, federal energy policies continue to throttle industries and communities under the guise of a “green transition.” The inflation-fueled subsidies in the so-called “Big Beautiful Budget Bill” prop up expensive, unreliable wind and solar projects, while ignoring their skyrocketing costs and environmental downsides.

The truth is, wind and solar energy require massive taxpayer subsidies, cost more to deliver, and demand expensive backup systems, whether natural gas plants or dangerous, fire-prone batteries. Transmission infrastructure costs millions per mile, while solar panels and wind turbines, often manufactured with coal-fired energy and child labor in China, must be replaced and landfilled after a short lifespan.

Meanwhile, Americans face rising utility bills, job losses in energy-intensive sectors like manufacturing and healthcare, and an energy grid vulnerable to blackouts. Germany and the UK, world leaders in wind and solar, now have electricity prices three to four times higher than most U.S. states, and their industries are fleeing as a result.

Despite all this, government agencies continue to swell, employing legions to write climate reports, enforce DEI mandates, and model doomsday scenarios — none of which keep your lights on or your fridge cold.

The media grieves federal layoffs. But where is the sympathy for miners, pipeline welders, waitresses, or small business owners who lose their jobs not because of budget cuts, but because of failed Washington’s policies?

If we are to have an honest conversation about job losses, we must look beyond the marble walls of Washington. The American people know the score. They understand that a leaner, more focused federal government is not a crisis, it’s a necessity.

It’s time the media caught up.

Paul Driessen is a senior policy analyst with the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org), and author of numerous books and articles on energy, environment, climate change, and human rights.