The Trump administration is accelerating its sweeping federal workforce cuts, directing agency heads in a Feb. 26 memo to finalize plans for “large-scale” firings by mid-March.
Trump’s workforce optimization initiative includes both large-scale reduction in force plans and agency-wide reorganization efforts, which could result in not only job cuts, but also the elimination of entire positions, agency subcomponents, or even entire agencies. The administration has framed these moves as necessary to streamline government functions and reduce unnecessary spending.
In their Feb. 26 memo, Ezell and Vought reinforced this mission, characterizing federal operations as wasteful, inefficient, and in need of urgent reform.
“The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt,” they wrote. “At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens.”
As part of this effort, agency leaders “shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force,” the memo states.
Some agencies have already begun the process. The General Services Administration, which oversees federal buildings and real estate, notified employees on Feb. 24 that a reduction in force was underway. It assured workers that it would do everything in its power to make their departure “fair and dignified.”
The memo also outlines a phase two plan, which will require agencies to submit more comprehensive restructuring plans by April 14. This second phase will focus on long-term government downsizing, consolidation of offices, and relocation of agency functions to lower-cost areas.
“Pursuant to the President’s direction, agencies should focus on the maximum elimination of functions that are not statutorily mandated while driving the highest-quality, most efficient delivery of their statutorily-required functions,” the memo reads.
After being reviewed and approved, phase two plans should be ready for implementation by the end of September.
The memo coincided with Trump’s first Cabinet meeting of his second term. During the meeting, the president mentioned efforts to reduce the federal workforce and reform agencies.
“We want to move education back to the states where it belongs,” Trump said, adding that it is “unacceptable” that the United States spends more than nearly every other developed country on schooling but ranks near the bottom on education.
The Feb. 26 memo also directs agency heads to collaborate with the Musk-led DOGE on developing their workforce reduction plans.
Musk and DOGE, which has been hit with multiple lawsuits seeking to stymie its operations, recently drew criticism after the Office of Personnel Management sent an email to government workers over the weekend asking them to provide a bullet-point list of their accomplishments, with Musk commenting on social media that those who do not respond will face termination.
During the Feb. 26 Cabinet meeting, Musk said about 1 million workers had responded to the email. He added that another similar email would be forthcoming.
When asked by reporters whether DOGE has a target for how many of the 2.3 million federal government employees should be cut, Musk did not provide a specific figure.
“We wish to keep everyone who is doing a job that is essential and doing their job well,” Musk said. “But if the job is not essential, or they’re not doing the job well, they obviously should not be on the public payroll.”
There is no official tally for the total firings and layoffs to date, but a review of various reports suggests that it is at least 20,000 people, with an additional 75,000 people accepting deferred resignations, bringing the total affected to nearly 100,000.
Trump said at the Cabinet meeting that some of the 1 million or so workers who have not responded to the Office of Personnel Management email may have other jobs or may not even exist.
