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Federal agencies are bracing for significant workforce reductions, with potential cuts ranging from 8% to 50% of their staff, according to a recently obtained White House internal memo.
The Washington Post revealed that 22 federal agencies have submitted reduction plans to President Trump’s administration. The Department of Housing and Urban Development faces the most dramatic cuts, potentially losing half of its 8,300 employees. The Internal Revenue Service could see a 33% reduction, while the Interior Department may decrease its workforce by nearly 25%.
Additional planned reductions include an 8% cut at the Justice Department, 28% at the National Science Foundation, 30% at the Commerce Department, and 43% at the Small Business Administration. However, sources indicate these numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
DOGE finds empty office buildings. One was supposed to have 2900 employees but only 49 showed up 5 days a week. Who would think federal jobs are part-time? pic.twitter.com/MDE5DV0fs2
— • ᗰISᑕᕼIᗴᖴ ™ • (@4Mischief) March 18, 2025
The federal government currently employs approximately 2.3 million people. White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields addressed the memo, stating: “It’s no secret the Trump Administration is dedicated to downsizing the federal bureaucracy and cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. This document is a pre-deliberative draft and does not accurately reflect final reduction in force plans.”
Fields added: “When President Trump’s Cabinet Secretaries are ready to announce reduction in force plans, they will make those announcements to their respective workforces at the appropriate time.”
The initiative involves collaboration between Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), focusing on government streamlining and reducing federal spending inefficiencies.
The Government Accountability Office Building in DC.
This is the government department which is supposed to audit all the government agencies and departments.
They currently employ 3,275 people.
DOGE employs 20 and has done in less than a month what the GAO has never been able… pic.twitter.com/PDl98hf1aO
— C-Reason🇺🇸 (@CreasonJana) February 9, 2025
According to Reuters, White House officials are reviewing these downsizing plans, with thousands of government workers potentially facing termination in the coming weeks. The agencies were given until March 13 to prepare plans for this second round of layoffs, part of Trump’s rapid initiative to reshape federal government operations.
Trump’s February 11 executive order directed the Office of Management and Budget and DOGE to implement workforce reductions. While previous Trump orders have faced legal challenges, experts suggest this reduction-in-force (RIF) process may be more legally resilient than earlier attempts to dismiss probationary employees.
Robert Shea, a Republican with previous White House budget office experience, explained: “The RIF process is the one that is established in law and regulation about how to reduce workforces.” While anticipating legal challenges, Shea believes this approach has a better chance of success due to its established legal framework.
