President Biden is on track to expand the size and authority of the federal government to levels unseen since the height of former President Obama’s administration.
Mr. Biden entered office with more than 11 million individuals employed by the federal government in some capacity, according to the liberal Brookings Institution. At the time, there were 2.2 million full-time employees, 1.4 million military personnel, roughly 500,000 Postal Service workers, 5 million governmental contractors and 1.8 million people whose salaries were derived from federal grants.
“The total number of actual federal employees generally has stayed stable for decades, but the big additions usually happen outside the margins,” said David Ditch, a budget analyst at the Heritage Foundation. “When you’re pumping more money into the economy and giving out government contracts or grants, you’re essentially adding to the federal workforce.”
Some Republicans say the expansion of the federal government’s reach is part of a liberal push for greater influence on virtually all aspects of life.
“The Biden administration believes it should be able to control every decision you make,” said Rep. Gary Palmer, Alabama Republican.
Mr. Biden’s additions are expected to inflate the federal government’s size to levels unseen since Mr. Obama occupied the Oval Office. At the height of the recession in 2010, Mr. Obama’s stimulus spending saw nearly 12 million individuals employed by the federal government in some capacity — with more than 7 million being contractors or individuals employed by government grants.
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