The initiative led by President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk to significantly reduce the US federal bureaucracy has escalated, resulting in the termination of over 9,500 employees who were responsible for various tasks, ranging from federal land administration to veteran care.
Employees at the departments of Interior, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services have faced job losses in a campaign that has, to date, predominantly targeted probationary workers in their first year of employment, who possess fewer job protections.
According to reports from Reuters and other major US media outlets, these firings add to the approximately 75,000 workers who have accepted voluntary buyouts offered by Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk, as stated by the White House. This total corresponds to roughly 3% of the 2.3 million civilian workforce.
Mr. Trump asserts that the federal government is excessively bloated and that a significant amount of funds is wasted due to inefficiency and fraud. With around $36 trillion in national debt and a $1.8 trillion deficit recorded last year, there is bipartisan consensus regarding the urgency for reform.
The campaign by Donald Trump and Elon Musk aims to eliminate civil service protections for federal career employees.
The rapid pace and extensive scope of Mr. Musk’s efforts have led to growing frustration among certain aides of Mr. Trump, particularly regarding a lack of coordination, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as reported by Reuters.
Along with the job cuts, Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk have attempted to dismantle civil service protections for career staff, frozen the majority of US foreign aid, and sought to significantly restrict the operations of certain government agencies like the US Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
According to sources acquainted with the layoffs, nearly half of the probationary employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many at the National Institutes of Health are being eliminated.
The US Forest Service plans to terminate around 3,400 recent hires, with the National Park Service letting go about 1,000 employees, according to inside sources reported yesterday.
The Internal Revenue Service is also preparing to lay off thousands of workers next week, as per two individuals familiar with the situation, which could strain resources just ahead of the 15 April deadline for Americans to file their income tax returns.
Read more: Thousands fired as Trump and Musk undertake major cuts in US government offices
Concerns have been raised regarding other spending cuts that may jeopardize essential services. Following the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, federal programs have ceased hiring seasonal firefighters and have stopped removing hazardous fire materials from forests, according to affected organizations.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent compared Elon Musk’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency to a financial audit.
Critics have voiced their discontent with Mr. Musk’s heavy-handed strategy, as he wields unprecedented influence under Mr. Trump’s administration.
In response to these concerns, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent likened Mr. Musk’s initiative to a financial audit, stating, “These are serious individuals conducting audits across agencies to identify best practices,” while speaking to Fox Business Network.
Mr. Musk is utilizing a group of young engineers with limited government experience to run his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) campaign, and budget experts indicate that their early cuts seem to be more ideologically driven than cost-effective.
‘Betrayed by my country’
Federal employees who were terminated expressed their disbelief and disappointment.
“Having served my country, I feel as if I’ve been betrayed,” remarked Nick Gioia, a veteran who worked for the Department of Defense for 17 years before briefly joining the USDA’s Economic Research Service in December, only to be dismissed late Thursday.
“This situation doesn’t feel related to federal staffing; it feels like just a game,” added Mr. Gioia, who resides in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and has a child with epilepsy.
“Watching influential figures like Mr. Musk boast about their successes, he fails to recognize the impact on ordinary lives.”
Protesters gather outside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offices in Washington.
Steve Lenkart, the executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees union, which advocates for over 100,000 workers, anticipates that Mr. Musk, whose SpaceX projects have substantial contracts with the US federal government, and the Trump administration will focus on agencies that oversee industry and financial regulation.
“Ultimately, this initiative seems to be geared toward easing government regulation on industry and wealthy individuals, which excites Elon Musk,” said Mr. Lenkart.
Nuclear cuts have been ‘partially rescinded’
Efforts to terminate some government employees have encountered obstacles from federal judges or reconsideration by the administration.
Approximately 1,200 to 2,000 staff members at the Department of Energy were released, including 325 from the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees nuclear stockpiles, according to informed sources reported yesterday.
However, those layoffs have been “partially rescinded” in order to keep essential nuclear security personnel, as one source indicated. The number of the 325 firings that have been reverted remains unclear.
The administration has temporarily committed to halting any further firings at the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau due to a court order, thereby providing workers there with a last-minute reprieve in light of anticipated mass layoffs.
Unions representing federal employees have initiated legal action to contest the buyout plan.
Three federal judges presiding over privacy cases related to DOGE heard arguments yesterday regarding whether Mr. Musk’s team should have access to Treasury Department payment systems and potentially sensitive data linked to US health, consumer protection, and labor agencies.
In one of these cases, a federal judge in New York extended a temporary restraining order preventing DOGE from accessing Treasury Department systems, with this order being enacted today.
Trump anticipates auto tariffs to be announced ‘around 2 April’
Separately, Mr. Trump revealed plans to introduce tariffs on imported automobiles around the date of 2 April, adding to a series of levies he has threatened since assuming office.
Mr. Trump’s announcement did not clarify whether these tariffs would be applicable to all automobile imports.
Since taking office on 20 January, Mr. Trump has consistently targeted both allies and adversaries alike with threats of new duties.
He has characterized tariffs as a mechanism for generating revenue, addressing trade discrepancies, and urging countries to respond to US concerns.
Experts have cautioned that it is often American consumers who bear the brunt of tariffs on US imports, not foreign exporters.
When asked about a timeline for unveiling auto tariffs, Mr. Trump responded, “Perhaps around 2 April.”
He did not offer any additional details yesterday.
Approximately 50% of the cars sold in the United States are domestically manufactured. Among imports, about half originate from Mexico and Canada, while the remainder comes from various major automobile-producing countries.
This latter group primarily includes Japan, South Korea, and Germany, with Britain, Italy, and Sweden contributing a smaller volume of imports.
Recently, Ford CEO Jim Farley criticized Mr. Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, arguing it disadvantages US companies that have developed integrated supply chains across North America under trade agreements, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) reached during Mr. Trump’s first administration.
