Oh, I'm so very sorry

/

goodbye to all that: with suddenly available spare time, USAid employees head home to create new dance routines for the peruvian gay dance team and women’s empowerment classes for Afghan clerics

23,000 Jobs Lost, but the Number Washington Hates Is 53,000

Statistics can tell very different stories depending on where somebody stops reading. The easiest headline is "23,000 jobs lost."

It's accurate, but so is "private employers added 30,000 jobs."

So is "government employment fell 53,000."

We deserve all three numbers because together they show what actually happened.

The government decline needs context, too. Of the 53,000 jobs lost, 50,000 came from local government education. Federal employment fell by only 3,000 in July. Giving Trump credit for all 53,000 would be just as misleading as pretending the private-sector gain never happened.

The larger federal trend, however, belongs squarely in Trump's column. Office of Personnel Management data show the federal workforce has lost 272,283 employees since Trump took office on Jan. 30, 2025.

Why, that’s even better than the Democrats’ once-beloved cigar aficionado achieved: he got rid of 200,000.