President Donald Trump’s actions to cut the federal workforce is having an impact on nearly 3,600 employees at federally-funded labs in Boulder. This includes the University of Colorado Boulder, which is expected to open a new bat laboratory this year as reported by the Longmont Leader. The university received $684 million in federal research funding for the fiscal year between 2022 and 2023. According to the Boulder Economic Council, the university contributed about $10.8 billion in economic contributions to the state.
It is currently unknown how many of the employees at federally-funded labs will be laid off as the Trump administration continues to make cuts to reduce federal spending. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a lawsuit with other state AGs in response to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) allegedly unlawful 15 percent indirect cost cap for federally-funded research.
The Boulder Economic Council stated that “some of Boulder’s federally funded research and lab facilities are world leaders in climate, weather, geo-physical and renewable energy research. Others have a strong presence in measurements and standards, telecommunications science, and viral and bacterial diseases.”
“We recognize that this could have a significant impact on the Boulder-area workforce and the important work these research facilities and federal departments are doing,” Boulder Chamber President John Tayer said. “Both in our community and nationally.”
Tens of thousands of probationary federal employees, who have been working for the government for a year or two, have been laid off since the start of Trump’s new term. A class action lawsuit has been filed by employees alleging that they have been let go without regard for “performance or conduct.”
A Trump administration spokesperson told Fox News that “probationary employees are, by definition, subject to removal if their position is deemed not mission-critical to the executive branch, which is led by and reports to the president. The legacy media is missing the point: President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to cut wasteful spending for American families — not to bankroll bureaucrats indefinitely on the taxpayer’s dime.”
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk promised to remove $2 trillion in federal spending to balance the budget. During the fiscal year that ended in September 2024, the federal government spent $6.75 trillion and earned $4.92 trillion in revenue, a $1.83 trillion deficit. The national debt is currently over $36 trillion. The federal government spent $881 billion on national debt interest in fiscal year 2024, which is higher than the $855 billion spent on defense.
Dozens of people protested the layoffs on February 19 in front of the Department of Commerce building, in Boulder. This was one chapter of a national protest movement organized by the Federal Unionists Network. The layoffs have affected dozens of federal agencies, including workers in Boulder and across the state.
