Worker Policy Watch
Your source for accurate and reliable information on how federal policies are shaping workers’ rights—and what’s at stake for working people nationwide under the Trump administration.
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Whiplash at State Department as Almost 100 New Hires Join Ranks After Hundreds Laid Off
10 weeks after over one thousand workers were laid off, including 250 foreign service officers, the State Department has issued hiring notices to almost 100 new employees who will join the foreign service class beginning September 22nd.
Impact:
Impacted State Department workers cited confusion and noted the wastefulness of the recent firings in light of the recent hires, given the significant investments the department makes in training and professional development.
U.S. Department of Labor Announces Proposed Rulemaking that Will Jeopardize Privacy of UI Applicants
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would change the disclosure of Unemployment Compensation (UC) information from “permissible” to “required” when requested by federal officials for the purposes of oversight and audits.
Impact:
The Trump administration argues that this change will better allow agencies to investigate complex fraud schemes more effectively. The notice of proposed rulemaking will be open to public comment for 30 days starting September 1st. States have a lot of confidential data about UI applicants and recipients and there are no details in the proposal about how this data will be used and how it will be protected, raising serious privacy and other concerns about this proposal.
Trump Plans One Percent Pay Increase For Most Federal Workers for 2026
The Trump administration has announced a plan to raise pay by only one percent for most federal workers for 2026, with federal law enforcement and the military receiving 3.8 percent increases.
Impact:
The Trump administration had previously announced that it would freeze pay increases for civilian federal workers for 2026, despite a planned surge of hiring for federal law enforcement agencies. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will now decide which categories of federal law enforcement employees will receive a 3.8% base pay increase, in line with anticipated military pay raises but in stark contrast to the rest of the civilian federal workforce, which will fall behind in wages relative to the cost of living.
DOGE Put Millions of Americans at Risk For Identify Theft According to Whistleblower
A whistleblower is alleging that an Elon Musk ally at DOGE has put at risk the social security information of millions of Americans by violating agency policy and putting sensitive personal data on a vulnerable server.
Impact:
The information at risk includes Social Security records and other identifying information for over 300 million Americans, putting hundreds of millions at risk for identify theft if accessed by bad actors. To date, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has claimed they are not aware of any security breeches at this time.
U.S. Labor Force Has Lost 1.2 Million Immigrant Workers This Year, New Report Finds
A Pew Research Center analysis of Census data has found that 1.2 million immigrant workers left the U.S. labor force between January and July 2025. That total is inclusive of both documented and undocumented immigrants.
Impact:
Immigrant workers contribute to job growth and overall economic strength, and make up nearly 20% of the U.S. workforce. Businesses in industries that disproportionately rely on immigrant workers, like agriculture, construction, and care work, are particularly hard hit, with reports of wasted crops and construction slowdowns.
Mothers Are Leaving the U.S. Workforce in 2025
New analysis finds that the workforce participation rate for mothers aged 20 to 44 with young children declined by two percent from January to July 2025. This decline is driven by numerous factors, but the Trump administration’s approach of emphasizing jobs in male-dominated fields, rolling back flexible work arrangements like remote work, and attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace are all likely contributing to this trend.
Impact:
Reversing both short and long term trends to push mothers out of the labor force will make it harder for these workers to support their families and weaken the economy, which will lose access to their skills and contributions.
Federal Appeals Court Threatens NLRB’s Constitutionality
Trump-appointed Fifth Circuit judge Don Willet authored a ruling finding that the structure of the National Labor Relations Board is likely unconstitutional. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is among the corporations which have sued in federal court, seeking to avoid accountability for alleged violations of federal labor law by attempting to gut the NLRB’s authority.
Impact: The court kept in place injunctions freezing the NLRB’s enforcement actions against the companies, so the workers in those cases will not be made whole. The Supreme Court may soon have an opportunity to weigh in on the constitutional question, which would have huge implications for bedrock labor rights in America.
Proposed Department of Education Rule Would Restrict Public Service Loan Forgiveness
The Department of Education proposed new restrictions on the public service loan forgiveness program. The PSLF program forgives the balances on certain federal student loans for individuals employed by government or not-for-profit organizations after 10 years. The department now proposes to exclude employers it judges to be substantially involved in "illegal" activity.
Impact:
The administration has engaged in a broad-based effort to weaponize the federal government in service of its partisan political goals and against institutions that the president sees as political opponents - from universities to law firms to nonprofits and foundations. PSLF was intended to support workers who chose to use their talents in service of the public interest. Trump sees it as yet another tool to chill political speech and attack practices like diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Appeals Court Rules Trump Administration Can Proceed with CFPB Layoffs
A federal appeals court in Washington, DC ruled 2-1 that the Trump administration can proceed with its plan to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through mass layoffs.
Impact:
The plaintiffs in the case, which includes the union representing CFPB employees, will likely appeal to the full DC circuit. If the layoffs do ultimately take place, it would cement an action that Trump and Elon Musk have been pursuing since February, when they put CFPB staff on administrative leave and halted all enforcement actions. The agency was created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and exists to protect consumers from exploitation. Its enforcement authority includes important worker issues, like workplace surveillance.
Trump Administration Strips Gender Affirming Care from Federal Workers
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) informed insurance carriers that the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program would no longer cover gender affirming care for covered adults. OPM had already eliminated care for individuals under the age of 19.
Impact:
Gender affirming care saves lives and is critical to mental and physical health care for those who need it. Removing it puts federal employees at risk and makes it harder to recruit and maintain a workforce that reflects the diversity of the country, which includes trans and nonbinary people.