A recently obtained White House internal document reveals the massive extent of federal job cuts planned under the Trump administration’s effort to shrink government. The report details brutal cuts across multiple federal agencies, some of which will lose up to half of their workers.
The administration’s goal? A leaner, more “efficient” government. The reality? A bureaucratic upheaval with effects all the way down in American life.
The 22 federal agencies cited in the document will face workforce cuts of 8% to 50%. The most significant cuts target:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faces significant cuts, including over 1,100 researchers making up more than 10% of the staff. The Department of Justice, National Science Foundation, and Treasury Department also face substantial cuts.
Though one agency is notably untouched? The U.S. Postal Service. The White House says it’s an “essential function” that gets carved out from the non-layoff plan—for now.
When pressed on the document, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields downplayed its significance.
“This document is a pre-deliberative draft and does not accurately reflect final reduction in force plans,” Fields said in an email. “It’s no secret the Trump Administration is dedicated to downsizing the federal bureaucracy and cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.”
But the document, last updated this week, aligns with President Trump’s February executive order directing the Office of Management and Budget to streamline federal agencies and reduce staff.
Insiders say the administration is working closely with billionaire adviser Elon Musk to reimagine the federal workforce, focusing on automation, artificial intelligence, and outsourcing.
Although officials insist that these cuts will lead to a more accountable government, reports from within federal agencies tell a different story.
At the Social Security Administration, managers are working the phones themselves after the receptionist positions were cut. The website of the agency crashed four times this month, blocking millions of seniors and disabled workers.
Inside national parks, reservation systems are buckling. Some historic sites this month have had to call off altogether bookings in full after their whole staff was let go.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is studying ways to cut 80,000 jobs and is focusing on call centers, policy analysts, and administrative workers. A leaked plan hints at swapping human staff for robots instead.
But the automation is not a very efficient solution itself. “These aren’t just faceless bureaucrats—they’re the people helping veterans get appointments and their paperwork in on time,” says Andrew Huddleston, communications director for the American Federation of Government Employees.
The Trump administration’s effort to shrink the workforce has hit legal roadblocks already. Mass firings of probationary workers prompted court orders to put some of those employees back on the job early this year. The White House is asking the Supreme Court to undo those appeals.
Experts say a more structured “Reduction in Force” (RIF) process could hold up better in court.
“The RIF process is the one that is established in law and regulation about how to reduce workforces,” says Robert Shea, a former senior official at the White House budget office. “Because this is a well-established path, it’s more likely to succeed than some of these other avenues.”
The administration argues that these cuts will help curb the $1.8 trillion federal budget deficit. But according to the document, projected savings are relatively modest:
These numbers barely dent the deficit, raising questions about whether the effort is more ideological than financial.
While layoffs have already begun at some federal agencies—like the Education Department, which announced a 50% staff reduction—the full scope of cuts remains uncertain. Further detailed reorganization plans are to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget by mid-April.
Until then, employees across the federal agencies are forced to play a tense waiting game. Others are already job hunting in advance. Others wait for some relief from Congress or the courts.
One thing is certain: whether this restructuring results in a leaner, more efficient government or a dysfunctional bureaucracy, the effects will ripple far beyond Washington.
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