Trump Administration Embarks on Sweeping Federal Workforce Reduction

The Trump administration has initiated a far-reaching plan to significantly downsize the federal workforce, sparking widespread concern and legal challenges. Mass firings of permanent federal employees have commenced and are anticipated to accelerate in the coming weeks, potentially affecting tens of thousands of individuals. This dramatic reduction in force (RIF) follows a series of actions taken by the administration, guided by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at restructuring and streamlining the federal government.

Federal agencies were given a deadline to submit plans detailing how they would implement these workforce reductions. The plans include layoffs, extended hiring freezes, elimination of vacant positions, and consolidation of offices, all aimed at reducing overall headcount. The administration has targeted agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for significant restructuring, including potential staff layoffs. The Department of Education has also faced substantial workforce cuts.

To incentivize voluntary departures, the Trump administration offered buyouts to nearly all 2.3 million federal employees. This offer, delivered via email with the subject line "The Fork in the Road," proposed eight months of pay and benefits through September for employees who resigned by February 6. However, unions cautioned employees about the uncertainty surrounding the offer, as Congress had not yet approved funding for federal agencies beyond March 14, raising concerns about the administration’s ability to fulfill its promises.

When the buyout offer didn’t yield the desired number of departures, the administration initiated layoffs of probationary federal workers. This group included employees in their first year or two of employment, those recently transferred between agencies, and individuals who had recently been promoted. These firings impacted employees across all 50 states and affected agencies that provide essential services to the public, including the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Internal Revenue Service, and National Institutes of Health.

The White House has not provided a precise count of the number of employees terminated.

Among the initial actions taken by President Trump was the revival of Schedule F, a policy from his first administration. This directive created a new employment classification for nonpartisan career civil servants, effectively removing their job protections and reclassifying them as at-will employees. This change allowed for dismissals for nearly any reason, raising concerns about politicization of the federal workforce.

A separate executive order froze hiring for federal civilian employees in the executive branch. This order stipulated that vacant positions could not be filled, and no new positions could be created, with limited exceptions.

The administration’s actions have faced legal challenges. Unions representing federal employees filed lawsuits to block the Schedule F executive order, arguing that it aimed to politicize the federal government by stripping federal workers of their job protections. A federal judge temporarily halted the buyout deadline to allow labor unions to challenge the legality of the plans.

The Trump administration warned federal employees that they could face furloughs if they did not accept the buyout offer, and there were suggestions that loyalty tests might be implemented for those who remained in their positions.

In a further move, the administration ordered federal department and agency heads to identify their lowest-performing employees and potential barriers to swiftly terminating employees who were unable or unwilling to improve.

The Trump administration also dismissed Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of the Special Counsel, triggering a lawsuit based on the argument that federal law only allows for removal due to inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance. Dellinger’s office plays a crucial role in protecting probationary employees who challenge dismissals.

Simultaneously, President Trump fired the leaders of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), two key boards that federal workers can turn to when contesting their firings. These actions further fueled concerns about the administration’s intent to limit avenues for appeal and oversight. Courts temporarily reinstated some of the fired board members, highlighting the legal challenges to the administration’s actions.

Dellinger, before being permanently removed by a court decision, requested the MSPB to pause the terminations of six probationary employees and reinstate them while his office investigated their cases.

President Trump signed an executive order aimed at significantly reducing the size of the government by instructing agency heads to develop plans for large-scale reductions in force. This order restricted agencies from hiring more than one employee for every four departures and directed the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to create new rules for future federal hires, including stricter conduct standards such as U.S. citizenship and timely filing of federal tax returns.

Ultimately, approximately 75,000 federal employees accepted the buyout offer, representing about 3.3% of the federal government’s workforce.

Following the buyout period, thousands of recently-hired federal workers received termination notices. Firings occurred across various agencies, including the Department of Education, Small Business Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the agency overseeing the nation’s nuclear weapons fleet.

These actions led to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of federal employee unions, alleging that the administration misused the probationary period to eliminate staff and that OPM directed agencies to use a standardized termination notice falsely citing performance issues.

Elon Musk’s DOGE also instructed federal workers to report their accomplishments via email or resign, further contributing to the climate of uncertainty and concern within the federal workforce.

Federal law generally requires 60 days’ notice for a reduction in force and prohibits probationary employees from being fired for reasons unrelated to performance or conduct. The MSPB ordered six fired federal employees to be rehired temporarily while Dellinger’s office investigated their cases, finding reasonable grounds to believe that the agencies engaged in prohibited personnel practices.

The Trump administration ordered agency heads to prepare plans to initiate large-scale reductions in force by March 13, accompanied by instructions to eliminate and consolidate duplicative positions, reduce property footprints, and produce reorganization plans. U.S. Postal Service workers, law enforcement, national security, border and immigration positions, and military personnel were exempted from these reductions.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s mass firing of probationary federal employees, stating that OPM acted outside its authority by directing other agencies to fire employees. The judge did not order the rehiring of terminated employees.

In response to the court ruling, the Trump administration informed federal departments that decisions regarding the firings of probationary workers were up to the agencies themselves. The MSPB subsequently ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate a fired worker, along with other probationary employees who were terminated earlier in February.

However, a federal appeals court later ruled that President Trump did have the authority to fire Dellinger.

Meanwhile, another federal judge reversed President Trump’s removal of a member from the Federal Labor Relations Authority, issuing a permanent injunction requiring the board to treat the member as if she had not been removed.

The Trump administration has set a deadline for federal department and agency heads to present plans for large-scale reductions in force, signaling a more aggressive phase of workforce cuts.

Among the reported planned reductions are terminations of significant numbers of workers from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Trump administration has also discussed substantial workforce cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency.

These layoffs are not immediate; agencies must provide employees with 30 or 60 days’ notice.