USC Price Associate Professor William Resh, an expert on the presidency and policy implementation, recently testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about the Trump Administration’s approach to downsizing the federal workforce. His testimony has been lightly edited for length and clarity. A video of his complete testimony, including questions from the House panel, can be found above and here.
Thanks for the opportunity to address you today on the critical issue of right-sizing government that takes place among recent administrative actions that I find somewhat troubling. Not just on my own accord, but, according to the scholarship and observations through history, these types of actions threaten the integrity, effectiveness and stability of our federal workforce.
For decades, debates over the size of government have focused too narrowly on a headcount of civilian employees, which obscures a more pressing concern: the growing misalignment between federal responsibilities and the government’s capacity to manage them. While the number of civilian and federal employees has remained stable at around 2.4 million, not including postal workers, federal spending has increased fivefold since the 1960s.
More than $759 billion was spent on contracts in 2023 alone, and this is relatively small in comparison to the last year of the first Trump administration, where estimates were as high as $1.2 trillion in contracts, meaning that much of what government does today is carried out through private firms rather than through career civil servants. Some estimate that there are as many as three to four contract employees for every federal civil servant. This shift has weakened oversight and increased inefficiencies and created accountability gaps, leaving taxpayers footing the bill for cost overruns on contracts, delays, and policy failures.
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Find Out MoreAt the same time, civil servants are underpaid relevant to their private sector counterparts, earning on average 23% less than a similarly qualified professional in the private sector. The salary gap, combined with mounting political pressures and the expanding scope of government responsibilities, has made it increasingly difficult to attract and retain top talent.
This is particularly concerning given that 70% of federal employees work in national security roles, 80% serve outside of Washington, providing vital services to the communities across the country. … recent administrative actions threaten to destabilize the civil service further by increasing politicization and eroding the principles of professional, nonpartisan workforce.
History and research are clear: Governments that rely on merit-based civil service systems perform better. They’re less prone to corruption and deliver more effective public services. By contrast, increased politicization, substituting experienced professionals with short-term political loyalists reduces efficiency, complicates long-term planning, and increases the risk of policy failures. Beyond inefficiency, politicization weakens the very mechanisms that ensure accountability and integrity in government.
Civil servants are often the last line of defense against waste, fraud, and abuse, ensuring that government funds are spent wisely and in accordance with the law. When experienced professionals are replaced by individuals selected for political loyalty rather than expertise, government oversight erodes and leads to costly mismanagement and a decline in public trust. This dynamic is not theoretical.
The U.S. has long benefited from stable, merit-based civil service that has helped sustain democracy through times of war, economic upheaval and national crises.
In conclusion … rather than reducing the number of career civil servants or subjecting them to politically motivated purges, we should reinvest in the workforce to ensure that government functions effectively, remains accountable and serves the public interest.
