On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to reduce federal bureaucracy. Nearly three months into his second administration, Trump has kept that promise by asking agencies to implement reduction-in-force plans. Over the past three months, the layoffs of roughly 49,000 federal employees have been reported across 48 agencies and subagencies, according to an analysis by the Hearst Television Data Team.There is no official figure available for the total number of federal employees laid off. So, our data team compiled and tracked which federal agencies laid off probationary employees using open court records, agency press releases and media reports.We also contacted these agencies directly to confirm the figures and request comment. Only five of the agencies — NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education — confirmed the figures below.Here’s a look at all the agencies that have reduced their workforce: Of the 48 agencies or subagencies in the analysis, 43 declined to confirm the layoff numbers.The Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Department of the Interior all declined to comment on this story. Two agencies offered comment on the layoffs, even though representatives would not give exact numbers for the layoffs. A USDA spokesperson said, “Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA is being transparent about plans to optimize and reduce our workforce and to return the Department to a customer service focused, farmer first agency. By offering a deferred resignation program, we’re giving employees the opportunity to take control of their next steps in federal service before any changes take place.”A senior DHS spokesperson said, “Several weeks ago, we implemented a Reduction in Force (RIF) for the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB). DHS remains committed to civil rights protections but must streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement. These reductions ensure taxpayer dollars support the Department’s core mission: border security and immigration enforcement. These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission. Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations.”A timeline of Trump’s efforts to reduce the federal workforceWithin hours of returning to the White House, Trump began to reshape the federal government workforce through executive orders and presidential memoranda. He issued a hiring freeze, terminated DEI programs, ordered a return-to-office mandate, created the “Department of Government Efficiency,” and reinstated “Schedule F.”Trump first created Schedule F at the end of his first administration. The order strips career federal employees “of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character” of their employment protections, making it easier to terminate federal employees.Schedule F was never implemented under Trump’s first administration, as the Biden administration rescinded the executive order before it could go into effect.Hours after Trump’s new policies went into effect, the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo to all agencies, asking them to identify and report all employees on probationary periods no later than Jan. 24.Newly hired federal employees are placed under a probationary period lasting one or two years. During this period, agencies evaluate their employees’ suitability for the role and their performance.Eight days after his inauguration, OPM sent a mass email to federal employees. The email, titled “Fork in the Road,” gave employees two options: resign now and receive pay through Sept. 30, or face uncertainty as agencies undergo restructuring. Employees had until Feb. 6 to accept the offer.The deferred resignation program exempted military personnel, postal service employees, employees in national security or immigration enforcement, and employees in other positions specifically excluded by their agency.OPM said that 75,000 federal employees accepted the first round of the deferred resignation offer.Five days after the deadline, Trump signed an executive order requiring agencies to initiate large-scale reductions in force. Agencies had until March 13 to develop a RIF plan under the order.Agencies or components that provide direct services to citizens — such as Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ health care — were excluded from developing RIFs or reorganization plans until the Office of Management and Budget or OPM could verify that the plans would have a positive effect on service delivery.Weeks after the order was signed, federal agencies began laying off thousands of probationary employees.A district court in San Francisco issued an injunction on March 13 requiring six federal agencies to reinstate probationary employees while litigation proceeds.The Supreme Court, however, blocked the reinstatement of those employees on April 8, stating that the nonprofits that brought the lawsuit against the Trump administration did not have a legal right to challenge the terminations.
On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to reduce federal bureaucracy. Nearly three months into his second administration, Trump has kept that promise by asking agencies to implement reduction-in-force plans.
Over the past three months, the layoffs of roughly 49,000 federal employees have been reported across 48 agencies and subagencies, according to an analysis by the Hearst Television Data Team.
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There is no official figure available for the total number of federal employees laid off. So, our data team compiled and tracked which federal agencies laid off probationary employees using open court records, agency press releases and media reports.
We also contacted these agencies directly to confirm the figures and request comment. Only five of the agencies — NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education — confirmed the figures below.
Here’s a look at all the agencies that have reduced their workforce:
Of the 48 agencies or subagencies in the analysis, 43 declined to confirm the layoff numbers.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Department of the Interior all declined to comment on this story.
Two agencies offered comment on the layoffs, even though representatives would not give exact numbers for the layoffs.
A USDA spokesperson said, “Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA is being transparent about plans to optimize and reduce our workforce and to return the Department to a customer service focused, farmer first agency. By offering a deferred resignation program, we’re giving employees the opportunity to take control of their next steps in federal service before any changes take place.”
A senior DHS spokesperson said, “Several weeks ago, we implemented a Reduction in Force (RIF) for the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB). DHS remains committed to civil rights protections but must streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement. These reductions ensure taxpayer dollars support the Department’s core mission: border security and immigration enforcement. These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission. Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations.”
A timeline of Trump’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce
Within hours of returning to the White House, Trump began to reshape the federal government workforce through executive orders and presidential memoranda. He issued a hiring freeze, terminated DEI programs, ordered a return-to-office mandate, created the “Department of Government Efficiency,” and reinstated “Schedule F.”
Trump first created Schedule F at the end of his first administration. The order strips career federal employees “of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character” of their employment protections, making it easier to terminate federal employees.
Schedule F was never implemented under Trump’s first administration, as the Biden administration rescinded the executive order before it could go into effect.
Hours after Trump’s new policies went into effect, the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo to all agencies, asking them to identify and report all employees on probationary periods no later than Jan. 24.
Newly hired federal employees are placed under a probationary period lasting one or two years. During this period, agencies evaluate their employees’ suitability for the role and their performance.
Eight days after his inauguration, OPM sent a mass email to federal employees. The email, titled “Fork in the Road,” gave employees two options: resign now and receive pay through Sept. 30, or face uncertainty as agencies undergo restructuring. Employees had until Feb. 6 to accept the offer.
The deferred resignation program exempted military personnel, postal service employees, employees in national security or immigration enforcement, and employees in other positions specifically excluded by their agency.
OPM said that 75,000 federal employees accepted the first round of the deferred resignation offer.
Five days after the deadline, Trump signed an executive order requiring agencies to initiate large-scale reductions in force. Agencies had until March 13 to develop a RIF plan under the order.
Agencies or components that provide direct services to citizens — such as Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ health care — were excluded from developing RIFs or reorganization plans until the Office of Management and Budget or OPM could verify that the plans would have a positive effect on service delivery.
Weeks after the order was signed, federal agencies began laying off thousands of probationary employees.
A district court in San Francisco issued an injunction on March 13 requiring six federal agencies to reinstate probationary employees while litigation proceeds.
The Supreme Court, however, blocked the reinstatement of those employees on April 8, stating that the nonprofits that brought the lawsuit against the Trump administration did not have a legal right to challenge the terminations.
