Former federal workers, lawmakers, mark a year after DOGE purge

Mitchell Miller | mmiller1@wtop.com
July 16, 2026, 4:44 PM

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Members of Congress joined former federal employees outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to honor State Department and USAID workers who lost their jobs to sweeping cuts last year by the Department of Government Efficiency. ... The DOGE purge forced tens of thousands of federal workers out of their government positions.


Rep. James Walkinshaw, who represents Virginia’s 11th District, joined former federal workers on Capitol Hill to mark one year since major cuts by DOGE. (WTOP/Mitchell Miller)

They included many Americans who worked on international programs for the State Department and USAID, which was gutted when its contracts were slashed.

Dozens of former federal workers gathered near the Capitol, along with Virginia and Maryland lawmakers, who vowed to keep working on their behalf. ... Rep. James Walkinshaw, who represents Virginia’s 11th District, said the employees had carried out valuable work, saving lives through humanitarian and health outreach overseas.

“We’re not going to end that fight until we stop more damage from occurring,” he said to cheers. “We’re not going to end that fight until we undo the damage that has been done.”

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Mitchell Miller
Mitchell Miller has worked at WTOP since 1996, as a producer, editor, reporter and Senior News Director. After working "behind the scenes," coordinating coverage and reporter coverage for years, Mitchell moved back to his first love -- reporting. He is now WTOP's Capitol Hill reporter.

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