A mere month following President
Donald Trump
‘s administration
fired over 100,000
early-tenure
government employees
, his administration is planning a larger slashing of workforce across the country, the details of which are becoming clearer by the hour.
The layoffs are occurring as economists grow more concerned about the situation.
risk of a recession
due to
Trump’s trade war with Canada and Mexico
, which has caused stock prices to fluctuate.
On Tuesday, a
Trump
A government representative informed USA TODAY the
The Department of Education plans to implement layoffs.
half of its workforce. The department instructed its employees not to report to the office on Wednesday.
Begin your day with more knowledge. Receive all the essential news directly in your mailbox every morning.
NASA has reported job cuts.
three key offices
, information has surfaced regarding layoffs being planned
76,000 staff members at the Department of Veterans Affairs
This summer, and Trump has done so.
floated the idea
by reducing the workforce at the Environmental Protection Agency by over fifty percent.
The upcoming significant deadline is Thursday, by which time organizations must deliver strategies for major staff reductions known as a reduction in force. Employees could be informed at any moment that their positions will end within the next 30 or 60 days.
Trump called for a layoff plan on Feb. 11
With his cutter-in-chief
Elon Musk
by his side
, Trump signed
an executive order
On February 11, they urged federal agencies to “quickly begin preparing for significant workforce reductions,” referring to the official terminology for massive layoffs. They also requested that temporary workers, who were expected to be affected by these cuts, should be separated from their roles.
The office’s criteria for potential layoffs included positions related to activities suspended or terminated by the Trump administration, tasks deemed non-essential during government closures, as well as roles focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Notably, the wording explicitly excluded jobs associated with public safety, immigration enforcement, and law enforcement duties.
Furthermore, the directive mandates that agency leaders send reports to the budget office within 30 days outlining “whether the agency or any of its subdivisions should be abolished or combined.” It also instructs agencies that they may replace only one departing employee with a new hire for every four positions vacated.
A more extensive exemption within the directive covers military personnel and permits agency heads to exempt “any positions they consider essential for fulfilling national security, homeland security, or public safety duties.”
The human resources department requested the plans by March 13.
About two weeks later, the government’s human resources arm, called the Office of Personnel Management, issued formal guidance for what it called “Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans,” and reiterated that they would be due March 13, which is 30 days after Trump’s executive order.
The memorandum states that the plans must incorporate “a substantial decrease” in full-time roles, reduced utilization of physical space, and a decreased financial allocation. It also advocates for the removal of non-mandatory functions as stipulated by the legislation, along with an effective execution of only those tasks mandated by law.
The memorandum indicated that the layoffs might take effect prior to when the plan was originally scheduled, suggesting that termination notices could arrive at any moment. Government entities have several options available to them, including conducting layoffs, relying on natural attrition, removing poorly performing staff members, and revisiting collective bargaining agreements, amongst others.
Could job layoffs impact Social Security or Medicare benefits?
The human resources memorandum instructs organizations offering direct services—such as Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ healthcare—not to enforce their layoffs until the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management can review these plans to ensure they “will enhance the provision of these services.”
Employees at the Post Office, being independent from the executive branch, are excluded. Similarly, staff working for the Executive Office of the President are also exempted. Furthermore, this exclusion extends to a wider range of positions including those in the military, border control, national defense, immigration services, and law enforcement agencies.
Notifications for layoffs will take between 30 to 60 days.
Under federal law, agencies typically must provide employees with at least 60 days’ warning prior to layoffs; however, the legislation permits the Office of Personnel Management to reduce this notification period to 30 days. The directive issued by the office specifies a schedule incorporating this standard 60-day notice window, which could then be abbreviated to 30 days should the office issue an exemption.
Layoffs at the Department of Veterans Affairs and NASA have commenced.
The VA has already developed its reduction-in-force plan. As mentioned in a memo dated March 4,
obtained by USA TODAY
laid out a strategy to reduce staff by 76,000 employees. This equates to approximately 16% of the 483,000 workers according to government statistics from September.
The memorandum indicated that the Department of Veterans Affairs was set to release a restructuring plan in June 2025 and aimed to achieve an agency-wide downsizing by the conclusion of the fiscal year, which concludes on September 30th. The document urges the department to work closely with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency when implementing these changes.
The Department of Education, which Trump vowed to completely close down,
offered buyouts
To individuals who applied by March 3, prior to substantial layoffs.
Likewise, NASA
told employees Monday
It would close down three offices, including the one led by the chief scientist. Cheryl Warner, a spokeswoman for NASA, stated that employees will be notified with a 30-day advance warning.
This expedited schedule enables the agency to swiftly implement these essential changes, aligning with the government’s broader objectives for increased efficiency,” Warner stated via email. “This choice bolsters NASA’s capacity to keep fulfilling its mission requirements while complying with the required restructuring.
Contributors: Sarah D. Wire, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Zachary Schermele
The article initially appeared on USA TODAY:
Trump’s deadline for a new wave of federal layoffs is Thursday. What we know.
