{"id":2568873,"date":"2026-02-11T17:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T22:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-cuts-federal-labor-force-to-lowest-level-since-the-1960s-as-private-sector-surges\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T17:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T22:16:14","slug":"trump-cuts-federal-labor-force-to-lowest-level-since-the-1960s-as-private-sector-surges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-cuts-federal-labor-force-to-lowest-level-since-the-1960s-as-private-sector-surges\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Cuts Federal Labor Force to Lowest Level Since the 1960s as Private Sector Surges"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-cuts-federal-labor-force-to-lowest-level-since-the-1960s-as-private-sector-surges%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2568873&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This article compiles US jobs data and political commentary around January, noting a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >strong private-sector gain alongside<\/a> a shrinking federal workforce. The private sector added about 130,000 jobs in January, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-adds-a-strong-379000-jobs-in-hopeful-sign-for-economy\/\" title=\"US Adds a Strong 379,... in Hopeful Sign for Economy\">unemployment rate fell<\/a> to 4.3%, with economists reportedly surprised by the strength of the jobs numbers. in contrast, federal employment continued to decline, with a 34,000 drop in January and a total reduction of about 327,000 since October 2024, bringing the federal workforce to just under 2.7 million. The piece contrasts this with Biden-era growth that pushed federal payrolls above 3 million in 2024,and cites conservative voices arguing that Trump reversed a trend of government payroll growth by prioritizing private-sector jobs. It includes quotes and tweets from figures like Karoline Leavitt and E.J. Antoni, and references statements about the Department of Government Efficiency and other governance efforts.The article also contains embedded media elements, social media embeds, and site scripts typical of a news or opinion site.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The White House touted on Wednesday that the total number of federal employees dropped to its lowest level since 1966.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, on the private sector side, the Bureau of Labor Statistics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/pdf\/empsit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> that the economy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-keeps-winning-president-takes-victory-lap-latest-job-numbers-shatter-expectations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">added 130,000 new jobs<\/a> for the month as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/employment-growth-hits-slowest-pace-for-us-since-december-2020\/\" title=\"US employment growth at slowest pace since Dec 2020.\">unemployment rate fell slightly<\/a> to 4.3 percent.<\/p>\n<p>CNBC&rsquo;s Rick Santelli noted the new jobs number was twice what economists were anticipating.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; NEW: The US economy ADDED 130,000 jobs in January, SMASHING expectations! &#128200;<\/p>\n<p>The unemployment rate FELL to 4.3%! &#128201; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AVtINFstaV\">pic.twitter.com\/AVtINFstaV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TrumpWarRoom\/status\/2021582113875575116?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>White House Press Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/karoline-leavitt-absolutely-nukes-reporter-tried-paint-ice-violent-left-wing-hack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Karoline Leavitt<\/a> posted on social media, &ldquo;In President [Donald] Trump&rsquo;s second term, 615,000 private sector jobs have been added while federal employment has declined to its lowest level since 1966 &mdash; and the lowest level in recorded history as a  of the total workforce.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In President Trump&rsquo;s second term, 615,000 private sector jobs have been added while federal employment has declined to its lowest level since 1966 &mdash; and the lowest level in recorded history as a  of the total workforce. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GD2HMCtcui\">pic.twitter.com\/GD2HMCtcui<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PressSec\/status\/2021663913453269334?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  The BLS said, &ldquo;In January, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-keeps-winning-president-takes-victory-lap-after-latest-job-numbers-shatter-expectations\/\" title=\"... Keeps Winning: President Takes Victory Lap After Latest Job Numbers Shatter Expectations\">federal government employment continued<\/a> to decline (-34,000) as some federal employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer in 2025 came off federal payrolls. Since reaching a peak in October 2024, federal government employment is down by 327,000, or 10.9 percent.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The total federal workforce is now just under 2.7 million.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This is insane&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>The number of federal government employees is now at it&rsquo;s lowest level in 50+ years.<\/p>\n<p>Dropped off a cliff after Trump was elected. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zZu2jzUC8S\">pic.twitter.com\/zZu2jzUC8S<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Geiger_Capital\/status\/2021600604963983398?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Under former President Joe Biden, the size of the federal workforce <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-reduces-federal-workforce-lowest-level-decade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increased by 6 percent<\/a>, with the total topping 3 million in the fall of 2024 for the first time since 1990, according to USA Facts.<\/p>\n<p>Heritage Foundation chief economist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gdp-report-shows-negative-growth-economist-reveals-fantastic-news-hidden-inside\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">E.J. Antoni<\/a> responded to the new jobs numbers, posting on X, &ldquo;THIS is the real story out of today&rsquo;s jobs report &ndash; Trump was handed an economy that was losing private sector jobs and adding gov&rsquo;t payrolls, but he successfully flipped the script, and one year later it&rsquo;s all private sector growth while cutting gov&rsquo;t jobs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">THIS is the real story out of today&rsquo;s jobs report &ndash; Trump was handed an economy that was losing private sector jobs and adding gov&rsquo;t payrolls, but he successfully flipped the script, and one year later it&rsquo;s all private sector growth while cutting gov&rsquo;t jobs: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R5r5EHgzqk\">pic.twitter.com\/R5r5EHgzqk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; E.J. Antoni, Ph.D. (@RealEJAntoni) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealEJAntoni\/status\/2021587596090990684?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Trump began his second term by slashing tens of thousands of workers from the federal payroll as part of his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/supreme-court-hands-trump-major-win-government-fat-cats-terrified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department of Government Efficiency<\/a> initiative headed by Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/doge-doesnt-exist-with-eight-months-left-its-charter-2025-11-23\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> in November that DOGE is no longer a &ldquo;centralized entity&rdquo; in the administration.<\/p>\n<p>But White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said in an  to Reuters, &ldquo;President Trump was given a clear mandate to reduce waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government, and he continues to actively deliver on that commitment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the material:<\/p>\n<p>The White House announced that the federal workforce has fallen to its smallest size since 1966. At the same time, the private sector added about 130,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate slipped to 4.3%, a figure CNBC\u2019s Rick Santelli said was larger than economists expected. Supporters and commentators circulated posts contrasting shrinking federal payroll with private-sector gains, with some claiming that hundreds of thousands of private-sector jobs were created during Trump\u2019s term and that federal hiring reached historic lows.<\/p>\n<p>The Bureau of Labor Statistics also noted that January saw another drop in federal government employment (about 34,000), as some deferred-resignation terms went into effect, reducing the federal workforce to just under 2.7 million\u2014roughly an 11% decline from its October 2024 peak. By contrast, under Biden the federal workforce rose above 3 million in fall 2024, according to USA Facts, before later changes. Analysts weighed in, with Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni arguing that the real takeaway is a shift from government payroll expansion toward private-sector growth under Trump. Some posts tied these numbers to a broader narrative about a Department of Government Efficiency initiative and other claims about centralized control of resources, though White House officials pushed back on sensational interpretations, emphasizing a mandate to cut waste and improve efficiency. The piece also contains various site features and placeholders for interactive content, forms, and embedded scripts, which are not essential to the core report<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2568874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-11T164949.982.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50231,73617,3634],"class_list":["post-2568873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-federal-workforce","tag-labor-force","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-11T164949.982.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2568873"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2568878,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568873\/revisions\/2568878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2568874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2568873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2568873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2568873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}