Musk's cuts ripple through Georgia's federal workforce
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At first glance, it seems like DOGE's work to slash the federal workforce mainly affects Democratic areas in the Washington, D.C., metro area and major cities like Atlanta. Then you dig a little deeper.
Why it matters: Of the 60 congressional districts with the most federal workers, a slight majority are actually represented by Republicans — many of whom are publicly cheering on Elon Musk's hack-and-slash efforts, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
Zoom in: In Georgia, the Atlanta area is a hub of federal jobs thanks to the CDC and Downtown's federal office complex, but many workers are in the southern and southeastern parts of the state.
- Georgia's 2nd and 8th congressional districts in Central and South Georgia are home to three military bases, according to GPB. The two districts make up nearly 40% of the state's federal workers, the outlet says.
Context: Republican and Democratic congressional districts alike have been rattled by Musk's tactics for slashing government funding and terminating chunks of the federal workforce.
- U.S. Reps. Austin Scott (R-Tifton) and Rich McCormick (R-Cumming), after being grilled on DOGE at a tense town hall, have urged Musk privately and publicly to tap the brakes.
Inside the room: Behind the scenes, many of President Trump's allies fear potential political backlash to the cuts and are scrambling to limit the damage, Solender and Erin Doherty write.
- When MANA Nutrition of Fitzgerald, Georgia, lost a $12 million contract with USAID to produce peanut paste for developing countries after DOGE gutted the agency, CEO Mark Moore asked Scott and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Brunswick) to lobby the administration, GPB reports.
Zoom in: Trump's attempts to cut the government workforce are likely to hit particularly hard in places with the most federal workers and where those workers take home the biggest paychecks.
By the numbers: There are roughly 109,000 federal workers in Georgia, who make about $91,000 on average, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 data.
- The total wages landing in Georgia federal workers' bank accounts every year amount to $9.9 billion.
What's next: Multiple lawsuits filed by federal workers in connection with Trump and Musk's efforts are still working their way through the courts.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that federal employees in Georgia earned roughly $9.9 billion in annual (not monthly) wages.