Full Breakdown
One Year After DOGE: Federal Workforce Attrition and Declining Recognition
5/7/2026, 5:59:00 AM
Workforce Contraction
One year after the U.S. DOGE Service began, the federal workforce shrank. DOGE’s plan targeted $2 trillion spending cuts, 75 % salary reductions, and agency consolidation, coinciding with employee departures.
Attrition
403,000 federal employees left since DOGE’s launch, including 95,000 science workers (10,000 PhDs) and 56,000 Veterans Health Administration staff. FEMA, SBA, NOAA, Agriculture, Interior and Forest Service lost 20-33 % of staff; USAID is shuttered. Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey has been discontinued, training programs cut, and senior officials labeled reductions “priority number one,” demoralizing staff.
Award Decline
The Partnership for Public Service’s Service to America Medals (“Sammies”) named four honorees in 2026, down from 23. Nominations fell from 530 in 2024 to 140 from 39 agencies. The decline follows massive staff losses and a strained relationship between the White House and career workforce, prompting fear of retaliation that led some employees to decline nominations.
Official Statements
Amante indicated the partnership will adopt a “one-year-at-a-time” approach to future awards. Stier highlighted the honorees as a testament to the contributions of career civil servants. Szykman emphasized his role in linking scientific discovery to public health outcomes.
Criticism
Commentators warn DOGE’s “move fast and break things” mindset, borrowed from Silicon Valley, may be unsuitable for services such as Social Security payments and air traffic control, arguing risk is essential.
Gaps
Sources report 403,000 and “over 300,000” departures. Lack of Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey data hampers morale assessment, and agency participation in awards varied, with some departments submitting no nominations.
Quotes
- “Because of the disruption and upheaval over the past year — we lost over 300,000 federal employees — and the adversarial nature of the relationship between the White House and the career workforce, we received less nominations than we typically do.” — Michelle Amante, Senior Vice President, Government Programs, Partnership for Public Service
- “After more than a year of upheaval in the federal workforce, these honorees are a powerful testament to what career civil servants make possible every single day.” — Max Stier, President and CEO, Partnership for Public Service
- “I realized my EPA expertise could help bridge a critical gap to make our collective output far more effective.” — James Szykman, Senior Research Engineer, EPA
- “Two ways,” he answers. “Gradually, then suddenly.” — Ernest Hemingway, *The Sun Also Rises*
Outlook
The 2026 Service to America Medals will be presented at the National Museum of the American Indian. Amante said the partnership will take one year at a time as it plans future awards.
