WASHINGTON D.C. – More than 100,000 United States federal employees are set to officially resign from their positions on Tuesday in what is being described as the largest single mass resignation in the nation's history. The unprecedented exodus is the culmination of a government program, initiated by a previous administration, aimed at drastically cutting the federal workforce.
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| Demonstrators protest against Trump administration cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in March 2025 in Silver Spring, Maryland.Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images |
The wave of resignations comes at a moment of profound crisis in Washington. Congress is facing a Tuesday deadline to pass a new funding bill or trigger a government shutdown. Compounding the pressure, the White House has ordered federal agencies to draw up plans for mass layoffs of remaining staff should the partisan struggle fail to produce a deal.
Workers preparing to leave government service have described an environment of prolonged uncertainty and distress. Many who have dedicated their careers to public service say that months of "fear and intimidation" have left them feeling they have no other option but to depart.
One long-serving employee at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shared their reasons for leaving with The Guardian, painting a grim picture of the current federal work environment.
"Federal employees stay for the mission," the FEMA employee stated. "When that mission is stripped away, when they are blamed, when their job security is uncertain, and when their meager work-life balance is taken away, they leave. That is why I am leaving."
The departure of such a vast number of experienced personnel on a single day is expected to have a significant impact on the functioning of government agencies, raising concerns about institutional knowledge loss and the capacity of the federal government to deliver essential services to the American public.
