Trump isn't the first to make deep cuts in Washington. Clinton cut 400,000 federal jobs - WAKA 8

Trump isn’t the first to make deep cuts in Washington. Clinton cut 400,000 federal jobs – WAKA 8

Posted by author February 23, 2025 Jobs

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FILE – President Bill Clinton, left, and Vice President Al Gore walk past two forklifts carrying reams of federal rules and regulations prior to making their reinventing government announcement, Sept. 7, 1993, at the White House in Washington. The plan unveiled plans to cut, consolidate and reshape the government. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

When Bill Clinton came to Washington as president, his Democratic administration also offered buyouts to federal workers and made spending cuts.

In the 1990s, knowledge from the corporate world, combined with the new internet were used to streamline the federal bureaucracy as part of the “Reinventing Government” push.

Millions of employees were offered buyouts and there were spending cuts to balance the budget. The effort led by Vice President Al Gore ended up eliminating about 400,000 federal positions and saved an estimated $146 billion.

Unlike the rapid pace of President Trump and Elon Musk in downsizing the federal bureaucracy, the Clinton-era initiative had been authorized by legislation and took several years to identify inefficiencies, involving federal workers re-envisioning their jobs.