Former federal workers follow their 'calling' to state and city jobs [View all]

Source: USA Today

Updated Feb. 10, 2026, 10:54 a.m. ET


Meghan Burns was busy at work for the Department of Education in March 2025 when her computer restarted at exactly 5 p.m. When it turned back on, she learned her job as a civil rights attorney had been terminated. In a heartbeat, she and colleagues in seven of the department's 10 civil rights offices were locked out and no longer federal employees.

Public service was the only career Burns had ever had. She wasn't ready for it to be over.
When I graduated law school, I specifically moved to DC because I knew I wanted to do public service and civil-rights-based work. That has been all I've done," she said.

More than 317,000 employees stopped working for the federal government in 2025, according to the Office of Personnel Management, as part of President Donald Trump's sweeping efforts to downsize the government. The majority of employees took voluntary buyouts and early retirements, according to the agency. Tens of thousands of employees were fired.

The layoffs and intentional downsizing led to a nationwide scramble as federal employees with specialized skills competed for private and nonprofit sector jobs. But like Burns, some former federal workers found they could continue serving by working at another level of government.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/10/federal-workers-layoffs-city-state-jobs/88527503007/