ChatGPT says: Here’s the gist of what that Wall Street Journal opinion column (Sept. 6, 2025):
Federal workforce shrinking:
BLS establishment survey shows federal government employment fell by 15,000 in August and is down 97,000 since the January 2025 peak.
Planned reductions:
Scott Kupor (director of OPM under Trump) stated that at the start of 2025 there were about 2.4 million civilian federal employees.
Based on agency plans, OPM projects the year will end with about 2.1 million employees — a 12.5% reduction.
How it’s happening:
~80% of these reductions are from voluntary resignations, mostly through the Deferred Resignation Plan (DRP), which offers eligible employees eight months of paid leave if they step down.
Hybrid work crackdown:
Trump issued an Inauguration Day executive order ending remote work for most federal employees.
Hybrid model workers dropped from 61% in late 2024 to 28% by Q2 2025.
Now 46% of federal employees are fully on-site, compared to a 21% national average.
