THE IMPACT OF Federal Layoffs ON THE Black Health Workforce
Ashley Marie Stewart, PhD
AIR-CBCF Health Equity Research Fellow
Introduction
The federal workforce has long served as a critical pathway for Black Americans to achieve economic stability and contribute to national health equity efforts. However, mass layoffs and executive actions targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs are endangering this stability and the work of previous administrations to address health equity issues.1 The recent federal budget cuts and government restructuring measures, particularly in agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Institutes of Health (NIH), have disproportionately impacted Black federal workers, with far-reaching consequences for the economic stability and wellbeing of Black Americans. This fact sheet outlines the historical significance of Black representation in federal service, the immediate and cascading impacts of mass layoffs on Black federal workers, and the urgent need for responsive policy action.
1 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. (2025, March). Ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity [PDF]. https:// www.cbcfinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ Ending-Illegal-Discrimination-and-Restoring-Merit-Based-Opportunity.pdf
A Brief History of Black Employment in the Federal Government
Bill Clinton
1993–2001
• Issued Executive Order 13078, establishing the President’s Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, which included attention to racial equity.
• Expanded diversity training and recruitment in federal agencies.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
1933–1945 George
• Focused on race-neutral approaches.
• Promoted faith-based initiatives and some diversity hiring but did not prioritize federal workforce equity.
• Established the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) in 1941 under pressure from A. Philip Randolph to ban discrimination in defense and federal employment.
• Established a “Black Cabinet,” comprising several Black advisors, to consult on racial issues in federal programs.
• Allowed some integration of New Deal agencies but largely avoided challenging segregation in the federal workforce.
Harry S. Truman
1945–1953
• Desegregated the federal workforce and armed forces with Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 in 1948.
• Strengthened the Fair Employment Board in the Civil Service Commission through the appointment of Fair Employment officers at each agency to address discrimination in federal hiring and promotion.
George H. W. Bush 1989–1993
• Signed the Civil Rights Act of 1991 , which strengthened protections against employment discrimination and harassment.
Ronald Reagan 1981–1989
• Opposed many affirmative action policies and sought to reduce civil rights enforcement budgets.
• Civil service retained gains from previous decades, partly due to institutional inertia and legal protections.
• Issued Executive Order 13583, requiring federal agencies to develop Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plans.
• Prioritized data collection by launching the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey to track progress on workplace inclusion.
• Elevated civil rights enforcement across federal agencies and supported stronger anti-discrimination protections for federal workers.
• Rescinded Executive Order 13950, banning federal agencies and contractors from conducting training perceived as “divisive” (e.g., critical race theory). The order was widely criticized for chilling DEIA efforts and was later struck down in court.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
1953–1961
• Signed the 1957 Civil Rights Act , which created the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department to investigate civil rights violations, including in employment.
John F. Kennedy
1961–1963
• Issued Executive Order 10925, mandating affirmative action in federal employment.
• Established the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity , chaired by Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
Lyndon B. Johnson
1963–1969
• Signed Executive Order 11246, banning employment discrimination by federal contractors and expanding affirmative action.
• Passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , including Title VII, serving as a foundation for ending employment discrimination in the federal workforce.
Jimmy Carter 1977–1981
• Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as an independent agency and nominated current Congressional Black Caucus member, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), as the first Black woman to chair the EEOC.
• Issued executive orders to improve federal diversity recruitment and workplace anti-discrimination training.
Gerald Ford 1974–1977
• Increased Black representation in mid-level and senior federal roles, partly in response to civil unrest and political pressure.
Richard Nixon 1969–1974
• Strengthened enforcement of affirmative action through the Philadelphia Plan , requiring federal contractors hire minority workers.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. 2021–2025
• Signed Executive Order 13985 and Executive Order 14035, reinstating and expanding DEIA priorities across all federal agencies.
• Issued Executive Order 13985, requiring agencies to create Agency Equity Teams and embed equityfocused strategies into core operations.
• Established agency equity action plans, appointed Chief Diversity and Equity Officers, and expanded outreach for federal recruitment in underrepresented communities.
Donald J. Trump 2025–Present
• Issued Executive Order 14151 , mandating that all federal agencies, departments, and commission heads eliminate all DEIA positions and offices and report lists of employees involved in such programs to the Office of Management and Budget within 60 days.
• Issued Executive Order 14173, rescinding previous orders that prohibited employment discrimination by federal contractors.
• The administration’s actions have led to the closure of DEIA offices, termination of related federal programs, and removal of DEIA content from websites, including content related to the history and contributions of Black Americans.
• Federal employees associated with DEIA initiatives were placed on administrative leave, and many faced termination.
The Layoffs: What is Happening and Who is Affected?
• The strong presence of Black workers in federal agencies, a legacy of postwar reforms, now faces unprecedented disruptions due to widespread layoffs.
• Currently, the federal government is undergoing significant workforce reductions, primarily driven by President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This initiative, led by Elon Musk, aims to streamline government operations by identifying and eliminating positions DOGE deems “non-essential.”
• Recent rounds of terminations, voluntary buyouts, and workforce reductions have disproportionately impacted Black employees across numerous federal departments.
• More than 75,000 public sector workers have accepted buyout packages, with thousands of others removed from their positions, including many who had been newly onboarded and were still in their probationary period.1
• Notably, HHS is aiming to reduce its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000. 2 The consolidation merges key equity-focused agencies into a new Administration for a Healthy America, raising concerns about the dismantling of specialized teams focused on maternal health, mental health, and community care. 3
• HHS has already dismissed about 24% of its workforce. 4 Of that number, 1,300 were recently hired, with Black professionals accounting for one-fifth of those impacted. In addition, the Office of Health Equity at HHS, along with regional DEIA teams, experienced widespread staff reductions. The exact number of staff reductions remains unclear due to DOGE’s lack of transparency throughout the process.
• HHS also consolidated several CDC equityfocused programs as part of a larger goal of 19% staff reductions, while NIH plans to reduce its workforce by 6%.5,6 As part of NIH’s reductions, it closed its Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) program.7 ComPASS funded community-led research to address structural health inequities. It supported partnerships between communities and researchers to design and implement sustainable interventions that addressed health disparities. The program emphasized addressing root causes such as housing, environment, and access to care through inclusive, equity-driven strategies.
• At the Department of Veterans Affairs, where Black workers make up nearly 25% of the staff, 1,000 employees were recently laid off. The department plans to cut more than 80,00 jobs by August 2025.
1 Defender News Service. (2025, March). Federal job cuts threaten Black middle class. Defender Network. https://defendernetwork.com/news/federal-workforce-black-employees/
2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2025, March 27). HHS announces transformation to Make America Healthy Again. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge.html
3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2025, March 27). HHS announces transformation to Make America Healthy Again. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge.html
4 Shao, E., & Wu, A. (2025, April 20). Where federal workers are losing their jobs. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/ interactive/2025/04/20/us/politics/federal-workers-america-map.html
5 Katz, E. (2025, March 27). HHS to lay off 10,000 employees and cut overall workforce by 20,000. Government Executive. https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/03/hhs-lay-10000-employees-and-cut-overall-workforce-20000/404092/
6 Katz, E. (2025, March 21). NIH faces renewed DOGE directive to cut staff, putting thousands in line for RIFs. Government Executive. https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/03/nih-faces-renewed-doge-directive-cut-staff-pre-covid-levels-putting-thousands-line-rifs/403593/
7 National Institutes of Health, Office of Strategic Coordination. (2025, April 8). Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS). NIH Common Fund. https://commonfund.nih.gov/compass
Top 15 States by Share of Black Federal Workers in Cabinet Level Agencies
Implications for the Wellbeing of Impacted Black Federal Workers
• DOGE has identified an estimated 40,000 federal positions to be eliminated in Washington, D.C., representing roughly 21% of the city’s federal workforce and marking a significant disruption for Black professionals who have long relied on government jobs as a source of stability and upward mobility. 8
• Job loss in high cost of living areas like D.C. can lead to sudden housing, childcare, and healthcare instability, especially for Black workers who may not have intergenerational wealth or financial safety nets.
• Black professionals laid off from federal roles may experience:
° Anxiety about future employment
° Grief over the loss of purpose, stability, and community
° Burnout from years of overperformance and navigating racial microaggressions in the workplace
8 Flynn, M., & Gathright, J. (2025, March 3). D.C.’s revenue forecast takes $1 billion turn after Trump’s federal job cuts. The Washington Post. https:// www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/03/03/dc-budget-impact-trump-cuts/
Conclusion
The federal workforce has long served as a critical engine of economic mobility, institutional trust, and health equity for Black Americans. Today, sweeping layoffs driven by political agendas threaten to undo decades of progress for Black communities. These reductions are not only eliminating jobs but also destabilizing communities, eroding public health infrastructure, and weakening the systems designed to close equity gaps. Labor unions have strongly opposed DOGE’s proposed cuts at HHS, recognizing that they will undermine essential public health functions and disproportionately impact Black workers. As policymakers move forward, it is essential to center the experiences of impacted Black federal workers and to safeguard the institutions, roles, and values that have supported their advancement. Protecting and expanding equity-driven federal employment is not only a matter of workforce justice, but also a national imperative for health and economic stability.
Resources for Impacted Federal Workers
NIMH: Caring for Your Mental Health https://www.nimh.nih.gov/mymentalhealth
Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network https://workerslegaldefense.org/
Fed Layoffs—Support Resources for Federal Employees https://fedlayoffs.com/
New Partnership Aims to Hire Displaced Federal Workers in State, Local Governments | StateScoop https://statescoop.com/naspo-statefederal-workforce-rif-layoffs-2025/
Black Professionals in Public Health http://www.bpph.org/