Federal employment in D.C. slumps to 30-year low

By the numbers: Federal jobs in the D.C. region are thus at their lowest level in 30 years, per the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

• The job losses continued into the new year, dropping 0.6% between January and May.
• The tally includes all jobs within the Washington region, stretching out to the far exurbs.

Driving the news: Laid off federal workers rallied at an event called "The Missing Badge" on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

• It had been a year since the State Department abruptly let go more than 1,300 employees in a single day, around the time when USAID was being hollowed out.
• Labor unions and Democratic members of Congress attended the event, meant to show "why rebuilding that expertise matters" for the federal government.