Sammies honor federal public servants amid Trump administration cuts

A 25-year salute to federal excellence unfolded in Washington, but the applause came as the civil service was absorbing one of its steepest contractions in generations. The Partnership for Public Service held its Service to America Medals gala on Wednesday, part of Public Service Recognition Week, even as the Trump administration’s cuts and departures continued to hollow out agencies that millions of people rely on.

The Sammies, often called the Oscars of public service, are the Partnership’s signature recognition program for career federal employees. The organization says the awards honor people who drive scientific breakthroughs, protect national security, improve how government works and spend taxpayer money responsibly. Since 2001, the program has recognized more than 800 public servants, a milestone the group cast as both celebration and recruitment tool at a moment when public service has become harder to sustain.

That challenge is reflected in the numbers. Pew Research Center found that the federal workforce shrank by 10.3% in 2025, a net loss of nearly 238,000 workers. Pew counted 348,219 people who quit, retired, were laid off or otherwise left federal employment last year, while only 116,912 people joined the government. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said Office of Personnel Management data showed federal civilian employment fell by about 220,000 between January and November 2025, the largest one-year reduction in more than 75 years.

The cuts have not stayed inside Washington. CBPP said the staffing losses slowed work ranging from repairing hurricane damage to removing lead contamination from public schools to answering questions from Social Security beneficiaries. Pew also found that younger workers and those with less than two years of experience made up smaller shares of the workforce by the end of 2025, a sign that the government is losing the pipeline it needs to replace retiring staff and preserve institutional knowledge.

Public Service Recognition Week, observed since 1985 during the first full week in May, has become a counterweight to that erosion. The Partnership says this year’s observance ran from May 3 to May 9 and arrived at a time when being a public servant was more challenging than ever. Max Stier, the group’s president and chief executive, has framed the effort as a response to a crisis of trust in government and a need to support the civil service through turmoil. The organization has also pushed its FedSupport hub and asked the public to send words of encouragement to government employees who remain on the job. The celebration honored those who stayed, but it also underscored the human cost of losing so many who once did.