The Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal employees are gaining momentum, with thousands of workers losing their jobs across multiple agencies. Spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the sweeping cuts aim to dramatically reduce the size of the federal government.
The layoffs, which began with voluntary buyouts, are now expanding as Musk and President Donald Trump push forward with a controversial plan to cut trillions from the budget. The move has sparked multiple legal challenges, but the administration remains determined to continue downsizing.
Mass Layoffs Hit Multiple Federal Agencies
The widespread cuts are now affecting agencies such as the Department of Energy, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Forest Service.
- Energy Department: 2,000 employees laid off
- Veterans Affairs: 1,000 employees dismissed
- Small Business Administration: 720 employees terminated (20% of workforce)
- U.S. Forest Service: 3,400 employees let go
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): 1,300 probationary employees laid off
The layoffs primarily target probationary employees, those who have been in their jobs for less than two years, allowing for easier termination with little legal pushback.
Musk and Trump’s Goal: Shrinking the Federal Government
When Trump first announced DOGE, Musk vowed to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, later revising the goal to $1 trillion. The initiative is driven by Musk’s belief that the federal government is bloated and inefficient.
“We need to delete entire agencies, not just cut back,” Musk stated at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday. “If we don’t remove the roots of the weed, it will grow back.”
The End of Voluntary Buyouts
Initially, the administration launched the “Fork in the Road” program, offering employees a buyout of several months’ pay to resign voluntarily.
However, the initiative faced lawsuits from Democrats and federal employee unions, who argued the administration lacked the authority to offer such deals. Although a federal judge briefly paused the program, the ruling was lifted earlier this week.
By that time, 77,000 federal employees had accepted buyouts, falling short of the administration’s 10% workforce reduction goal.
Legal Challenges Mount Against Musk and DOGE
The aggressive layoffs and restructuring efforts have triggered multiple legal challenges. On Thursday:
- 14 Democratic state attorneys general called DOGE an “unlawful delegation of executive power.”
- A federal judge blocked Trump’s effort to freeze a broad range of federal grant and aid spending.
- A group of 22 attorneys general sued to enforce the ruling against Trump’s policies.
- Federal employees filed lawsuits to prevent Musk and his team from accessing sensitive government data.
- A judge barred the Trump administration from accessing key Treasury records.
What’s Next?
Despite mounting opposition, Trump, Musk, and Vice President JD Vance remain undeterred, pushing forward with further cuts. As DOGE officials continue interviewing federal employees, agencies like the Treasury, Education, and Labor Departments are expected to see further reductions.
With lawsuits piling up and government services at risk of disruption, the battle over Musk’s government downsizing is far from over.
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