The US govt faces brain drain as more than 150,000 federal employees leave after accepting buyouts, marking the largest single-year exodus in decades. Experts and unions warn the loss will weaken public services and erode institutional knowledge built over many years.
The departures are part of a broader push by the Trump administration to reduce the size of the federal workforce. The buyouts combined financial incentives with dismissal threats for those who refused. Many employees had already left their duties months earlier and remained on payroll through a deferred resignation program.
Analysts say the scale of exits highlights how the US govt faces brain drain across vital sectors. Agencies such as NASA, the National Weather Service, and health departments are losing thousands of skilled workers, from engineers to public health experts.
At NASA, nearly 4,000 staff accepted buyouts, including scientists and engineers with decades of expertise. Union representatives warned the agency is losing some of its brightest minds without sufficient replacements. The National Weather Service also saw nearly 200 employees depart, creating gaps in forecasting and equipment maintenance.
Agriculture and health agencies have been similarly impacted. The Department of Agriculture lost about 1,200 staff, while the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also cut thousands of workers. These exits risk slowing progress in food safety, disease monitoring, and research.
The government argues the cuts will save billions annually and improve efficiency. Critics, however, believe the losses outweigh any financial benefits. They stress that when the US govt faces brain drain on such a scale, recovery of expertise can take years.
Despite the massive exits, officials note the overall labor market impact remains limited, since federal workers account for less than 2% of total US employment.
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