Maryland leads nation in federal job losses
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New data is out showing the damaging effects of DOGE cuts on Maryland's federal workforce — another example of how the Trump administration's policies continue to send shockwaves across the DMV.
Why it matters: About 229,000 Marylanders work for the federal government.
Driving the news: Maryland has seen the largest number of federal job losses (not including federal contractors) out of any state in the country since the start of the second Trump administration, a Maryland Department of Labor spokesperson said during a meeting last week.
- And the state lost an estimated 3,500 federal jobs in June, according to its latest job report — the largest monthly decrease in such jobs in almost 30 years.
- The state's unemployment rate rose to 3.3% in June, up from 3.2% in May.
Context: The federal government "is an economic engine" and "a driver of the state's employment growth," according to a recent report from the state's comptroller, and the cuts "will have a damaging effect on the state's economy."
- Washington contributed over $150 billion to Maryland's economy during the 2024 federal fiscal year, per the comptroller.
What they're saying: There's only been about six months of government cuts, but they've already had a similar effect on the state as the two years of cuts seen a decade ago under sequestration, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said last month.
Zoom out: This comes as the District faces a potential DOGE-induced recession, and as Northern Virginia leaders sound the alarm over the cuts' effects on the state's economy and workforce.
Yes, but: Maryland has had net growth in private sector jobs so far this year, up 5,200, per the recent jobs report.