Federal Job Cuts Threaten Black Middle Class

By ReShonda Tate

For decades, the federal government has been a pillar of economic security for Black workers, providing steady employment, benefits, and opportunities often denied in the private sector.

But sweeping job cuts under the Trump administration, spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, are rapidly dismantling this pathway to the middle class.

“The federal workforce was a means to help build the Black middle class. It hired Black Americans at a higher rate than private employers,” said Sheria Smith, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252, which represents Education Department employees.

Recent mass layoffs, buyouts, and firings are disproportionately affecting Black employees across multiple federal agencies. At least 75,000 government employees have accepted buyout offers, with thousands more terminated in recent weeks. Many were either recent hires or dismissed for alleged subpar performance.

The Department of Education, a prime target for closure under Trump’s agenda, has seen significant layoffs. Smith noted that 74 workers at the department had been let go—60 of them Black.

At the Department of Health and Human Services, where 1,300 new hires were cut, 20% of the workforce was Black. The Department of Veterans Affairs, which recently laid off 1,000 employees, saw 24% of its Black staff displaced.

These numbers illustrate just how vital federal employment has been for Black economic mobility, said Marcus Casey, a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Economic Studies program.

“Whether it was from the post office, through direct growth of federal agencies, through the military—the government fought against the headwinds associated with the private sector,” Casey said. “The federal government has been essential to the building of the Black middle class.”

“Morale Is so Low”

Among those affected is a worker at the VA in Houston, who spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation. He described a tense atmosphere in which employees live in fear of sudden termination.

“Morale is so low,” he said. “People who should be there are gone. Everyone is nervous about the next shoe dropping.”

He had planned to retire after 20 or 25 years of service, but now doubts he will make it. “Every indicator is that my head will be chopped off sooner or later. How can anyone be productive with that hanging over you?”

Undoing DEI to Cut the Federal Workforce

Trump’s changes started with dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in federal hiring, framing them as a “destructive ideology.” These cuts extend beyond DEI-focused jobs, disproportionately affecting Black employees across departments.

“A lot of Black people not only benefited from what they call DEI now but the original affirmative action programs and the veteran preferences,” Casey said. “That combination helped a lot of people get a foothold in the civil service.”

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