President Donald Trump‘s aggressive efforts to shrink the federal workforce have triggered widespread anxiety among government employees. His executive orders aim to streamline operations but threaten thousands of jobs, leaving many federal workers uncertain about their future. A surge in federal employees joining the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is being seen by some as a response to “anti-worker directives from the Trump administration.”

Newsweek reached out to the White House and the American Federation of Government Employees for comment via email.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump’s administration has implemented several measures to reduce the federal workforce. This includes an executive order instituting a hiring freeze across federal agencies and directing agencies to hire only one new employee for every four who leave, aiming to significantly reduce the workforce through attrition.

The Trump administration has also issued notices to various government agencies, including the General Services Administration (GSA), instructing them to develop workforce reduction plans that could lead to job terminations.

To oversee these efficiency measures, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created, led by Elon Musk, coordinating with agency heads to implement the workforce reductions.

In response, the AFGE has taken significant action to protect federal workers. It has filed multiple lawsuits challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s workforce reduction policies, resulting in temporary pauses of some initiatives. The union has also seen an unprecedented surge in membership.

What To Know

The AFGE represents over 800,000 federal employees, distributed among more than 900 local unions. In response to the Trump administration’s moves, it has recently seen an unprecedented surge in membership.

As of February 10, membership in the AFGE went up rapidly to an all-time high of 321,000. And according to the Federal News Network, the union is on track to reach 325,000 dues-paying members by the end of the week.

Joining the AFGE offers numerous benefits, including legal representation, advocacy for fair wages and protection against unjust termination. The union provides a collective voice that can challenge executive actions through legal channels.

For instance, AFGE has filed lawsuits to block Trump’s workforce policies, such as the “Fork Directive” and Schedule F, which aimed to reclassify federal employees and strip them of civil service protections. These legal challenges have been instrumental in stalling some of these policies and protecting the rights of federal workers.

Margaret Poydock, senior policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute told Newsweek that unions offer several key benefits to workers, including “just cause” rights that protect against arbitrary and unfair dismissals. Union contracts often include legally binding layoff and recall protocols. In contrast, non-unionized workers, who lack these protections, can be fired for almost any reason without notice or severance pay.

What People Are Saying

Everett Kelley, national president of AFGE, stated in a press release: “Firing huge numbers of federal employees won’t decrease the need for government services It will just make those services harder or impossible to access for everyday Americans, veterans, and seniors who depend on them.”

Margaret Poydock, senior policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, told Newsweek: “There are many benefits that attract workers to unions, the most important being ‘just cause’ rights, which protects workers from arbitrary and unfair dismissals. Many union contracts also outline layoff and recall protocols, which are legally binding. Non-unionized workers, many of whom do not have just cause protections, can be fired almost any reason, without notice, and with no severance pay requirement.”

What Happens Next

On February 12, the AFGE released a press release opposing Trump’s recent executive order that empowers Elon Musk’s DOGE to drastically cut the federal workforce, arguing it will harm vital services and make them harder to access for Americans.