January 20, 2025

Executive Order 14158: Establishing and Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency"

Section 1. Purpose. This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President's DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.

February 11, 2025

Executive Order 14210: Implementing The President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Workforce Optimization

Section 1. Purpose. To restore accountability to the American public, this order commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.

(c) Reductions in Force. Agency Heads shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs), consistent with applicable law, and separate from Federal service temporary employees and reemployed annuitants working in areas likely to be subject to the RIFs.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration gave no sign on Friday of diverting from its plan for a second wave of mass firings and budget cuts across the U.S. government after two federal court rulings ordered the reinstatement of thousands of workers. Federal agencies faced a Thursday deadline to submit large-scale reorganization plans as part of Trump's push to radically remake the federal bureaucracy, a task he left mainly to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. So far, the DOGE effort has produced potential cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, frozen foreign aid, and canceled thousands of programs and contracts. At times, DOGE's approach has been so scattershot that key federal employees, such as those who oversee the country's nuclear stockpile and scientists combating bird flu, have been fired and recalled. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

Department of Education: The agency announced Tuesday that it would begin laying off half its workers, about 2,000. It also told staff that its Washington, D.C., and regional offices would be closed on Wednesday. The Trump administration has expressed plans to shut down the agency, alleging it is a symbol of bureaucratic bloat (the agency has reportedly laid off dozens of probationary employees).

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: The agency is preparing to lay off more than 1,000 employees in a second round of layoffs that is expected to impact about 10% of its workforce, multiple outlets reported in mid-March, prompting fears it would affect the agency’s weather forecasting work ahead of hurricane season and other potential natural disasters.

Central Intelligence Agency: The agency has started to fire some probationary employees, multiple outlets reported, after firing some diversity staffers in February who had been placed on leave as part of the Trump administration’s push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government—it’s unclear what prompted the latest round of firings, but a federal judge ruled in February that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had the authority to fire officers at will.

Department of Veterans Affairs: The VA plans to cut more than 80,000 workers beginning in June to return to 2019 staffing levels, its chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, reportedly said in an internal memo viewed by Reuters. The reported reorganization comes after the agency announced about 2,400 probationary employees were dismissed in mid-February in two waves—U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the agency, among five others, on March 13 to reinstate the probationary employees, calling the terminations “unlawful.” However, the directive is not necessarily final, as the litigation still plays out in court.

Internal Revenue Service: The IRS was preparing to reduce its nearly 100,000-person workforce by about 50% through layoffs and buyouts, multiple outlets reported in early March, with a reduction of 20% of staff by May 15, CNN reported March 13—after the Trump administration already laid off about 7,000 IRS workers and reportedly set out to close more than 110 offices in February, at the peak of tax season.

USAID: Thousands of employees were reportedly given 15-minute windows on Feb. 27 and 28 to clear their office spaces as the Trump administration has sought to virtually shut down the agency virtually, firing or placing on leave 5,600 workers, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 10 that 83% of USAID programs had been shut down.

Social Security Administration: The agency plans to cut its staff by about 7,000 employees, or 12%, according to multiple reports, while an unnamed source told the Associated Press the staffing cuts could amount to as much as 50% of its workforce, though the agency has rejected the report as “false” and a “rumor.”

Labor Department: The agency plans to reduce staff in an office that handles equal employment opportunity laws by 90%, The Washington Post reported, though it’s unclear how many employees will be affected.

Environmental Protection Agency: Trump told reporters during his first Cabinet meeting that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has expressed a desire to cut 65% of the EPA’s 18,000-some employees, as the Trump administration seeks to roll back Biden-era environmental protections—but the White House later said the comments were instead referring to a 65% cut in spending.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: The agency—which has open safety investigations into Musk’s Tesla company—laid off 4% of its staff, a spokesman said in a statement that said the agency grew by 30% during President Joe Biden’s administration, noting it “retained positions critical to the mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing economic costs due to road traffic crashes.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency: The Trump administration has directed senior officials in the FEMA resilience office, which helps communities prepare for potential disasters and mitigate risk, to identify employees who work or worked on “climate, environmental justice, equity and DEIA” initiatives for potential firings, CNN reported, citing an email sent to the resilience office officials that said the directive could “impact the majority” of staff, as Trump has suggested previously he wants to eliminate FEMA and DOGE is conducting a review of FEMA operations.

TSA: More than 240 employees were fired in February “due to performance and conduct issues during their probationary period,” TSA spokesperson Robert Langston told Bloomberg—the outlet added it’s not unusual for probationary TSA workers to be terminated due to performance. The Office of Personnel Management notes it’s “less cumbersome” to fire federal staff during the probationary period soon after they’re hired.

Office of Community Planning and Development: The Trump administration aims to cut the office, an arm of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, from 936 staffers to 150, or 84%, the New York Times reported Feb. 20, citing a document it obtained detailing the plans.

Department of Defense: The Pentagon said it began laying off approximately 5,400 probationary workers, or 5% to 8% of its civilian staff, in late February and has implemented a hiring freeze to comply with DOGE’s workforce reduction plan—the fired probationary workers must be reinstated, however, under the March 13 directive from a federal judge.

Health agencies: Some 5,200 probationary employees across the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are being targeted for layoffs, according to multiple outlets, with Bloomberg reporting that employees at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration were also laid off.

Department of Energy: As many as 2,000 probationary employees at the agency have been fired, according to Politico, citing anonymous sources—though Bloomberg reports some department staff who work on nuclear security were asked back, and the March 13 order from a federal judge requires the remainder to be reinstated.

U.S. Forest Service: Two people familiar with the firings told Politico that more than 3,400 employees have been fired.

Small Business Administration: Bloomberg reported that some probationary employees at the agency received emails notifying them of their terminations before another email said the initial notices were a mistake, only to be notified in a third email days later confirming their firings.

Office of Personnel Management: A union official with the American Federation of Government Employees told NPR that probationary employees who did not accept the Trump administration's buyout offer were fired in early February.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: The union representing workers at the financial agency said about 73 members had been terminated after the agency—which has drawn ire from Trump’s tech allies—was ordered to stop all work. However, union leaders and the Trump administration reached a deal in mid-February to prevent more agency employees from being terminated while litigation challenging the agency's dismantling is pending.

National Nuclear Safety Administration: An employee at the agency, which oversees nuclear weapons in the U.S., told NPR the agency would fire about 300 of the agency’s 1,800 staff, though the Trump administration is now reportedly trying to rehire some of those employees.

General Services Administration: More than 100 people were affected by layoffs at the agency responsible for the federal government’s real estate portfolio, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Federal Aviation Administration: About 400 FAA employees were terminated in mid-February—just weeks after the fatal collision over the Potomac River that killed 67 people—with the layoffs including some in safety-specific roles, the Associated Press reported. However, the Department of Transportation said roles " critical to safety” were spared, and the layoffs targeted probationary employees.

Dorm, Sara and Bohannon, Molly. “Here’s Where Trump’s Government Layoffs Are Targeted—As Judge Orders Reinstatement Of Thousands Of Fired Workers.” Forbes, 13 Mar 2025. Https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/03/13/heres-where-trumps-government-layoffs-are-targeted-as-judge-orders-reinstatement-of-thousands-of-fired-workers/. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

Shelby Head

Shelby Head