As the largest single employer in the U.S., the federal government has long served as a pathway to the middle class for Black Americans.
By Stacy M. Brown
As the largest single employer in the United States—with about 3 million workers as of the end of 2024—the federal government has long served as a pathway to the middle class for Black Americans.
But President Donald Trump’s sweeping moves to dismantle federal labor protections and diversity programs are hitting Black communities especially hard, civil rights leaders and union officials warn.
“I absolutely think that the attacks on federal workers will have an acute and disproportionate impact on Black federal workers, and that’s because the federal government is highly diverse,” said Jennifer Holmes, deputy director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Government employment has offered Black families steady pay, competitive benefits, and pension plans for decades—often without requiring a college degree. However, Trump’s return to the White House has swiftly disrupted that promise. From gutting collective bargaining rights to halting race-conscious recruitment, his administration has launched an aggressive campaign to shrink the federal workforce and shift power away from labor unions.
The executive orders Trump signed in the early days of his second term include the dismantling of federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs; a ban on race-conscious recruitment in the military; and the rescission of Executive Order 11246, which has prohibited discriminatory employment practices among federal contractors since 1965.
“Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to stand up for working-class Americans. They lied,” Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “Instead of lowering the high cost of living, Republicans are attacking everyday Americans and crashing the economy in real-time.”
He also emphasized supporting those advocating for workers’ rights.
“The freedom to negotiate, join a union, and collectively bargain for a living wage is a central part of achieving the American dream for many in this country,” Jeffries continued. “We will defend at all times the right to organize.”
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) also vowed to challenge Trump’s actions after he signed an executive order ending collective bargaining for federal employees involved in national security work, a category the administration has dramatically expanded.
“The executive order to eliminate collective bargaining rights for federal employees across the government is a brazen attempt by the administration to ensure its reckless assault on vital federal agency services can continue unimpeded,” said NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald. “We will vigorously challenge this illegal order in court.”
The sweeping order affects workers at the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A fact sheet released by the White House claimed, “The President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security.”
The administration accused federal unions of having “declared war on President Trump’s agenda,” noting that the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing more than 800,000 employees, has repeatedly filed grievances to block his policies.
The Office of Personnel Management issued guidance allowing affected agencies to bypass collective bargaining entirely, conduct widespread reductions in force (RIFs), and enforce return-to-office mandates—without honoring provisions in existing agreements.
AFGE condemned the move, warning it could strip more than 1 million federal workers of their bargaining rights.
“Unions have been a major obstacle in Mr. Trump’s effort to slash the size of the federal workforce and reshape the government to put it more directly under his control,” the union said.
Trump expanded the list of agencies exempt from labor protections under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 to justify the sweeping changes. His interpretation of “national security” now includes the Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, U.S. International Trade Commission, and FCC.
Trump’s efforts also threaten to privatize the U.S. Postal Service and undo previous clean air and water initiatives targeting environmental disparities in Black communities.
Jeffries warned of the broader impact: “tax refunds, veterans’ benefits, and Social Security checks will be delayed or wrongfully halted.”
“Republicans are driven by their intense desire to reward Elon Musk and their billionaire donors with a massive tax cut and then stick working-class Americans with the bill,” Jeffries added. “House Democrats will continue to stand with everyday Americans, including our hardworking government employees, and oppose the far-right extreme agenda in Congress and in the Courts.”
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