
Nearly 1,000 federal workers have filed for unemployment benefits across Washington state as of March 5 since the Trump administration began mass layoffs of the federal workforce.
The state Employment Security Department reported that last year through the same period just over 400 federal workers sought unemployment assistance.
Most of the claims this year – 703 – were filed since Jan. 20, the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, with an average of 25 filed per day since Feb. 13, according to a release from the state agency.
Employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture represent the largest share of those seeking assistance at 190, followed by the U.S. Department of the Interior at 116 and U.S. Department of the Treasury at 93.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has 64 former employees filing for unemployment and the U.S. Department of Energy, 49.
Dozens of DOE staff were reportedly laid off in mid-February from the Hanford Field Office and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Hundreds lost their jobs with the Bonneville Power Administration, which provides most of the power used in the Tri-Cities.