- President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at eliminating “waste, bloat, and insularity.” In order to achieve this, the president is telling all government agencies to prepare for mass layoffs.
- Agency heads will now have to coordinate with DOGE on personnel decisions.
- Agency heads also have 30 days to submit a reorganization report to the OMB, outlining whether the agency or any of its sub-agencies should be eliminated or consolidated.
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President Donald Trump is instructing all agencies to “promptly” prepare for large-scale reductions in force, the government term for layoffs. In an executive order signed Tuesday, Feb. 11, the president stated he is commencing a critical transformation of the federal bureaucracy by eliminating “waste, bloat, and insularity.”
The order laid out new hiring and firing guidelines for agency heads. They must now coordinate personnel decisions with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team leads. The workforce plan requires each agency to hire only one employee for every four departures.
DOGE team leads also have the power to tell agencies to keep certain positions vacant, although agency heads can overrule the decision.
The order also outlined which jobs will be prioritized for reductions in force, including those who work on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, those who perform duties not required by law, and employees considered non-essential during government shutdowns.
There are exemptions for military, immigration enforcement, public safety and national security positions.
Agency heads must submit a reorganization report to the Office of Management and Budget within 30 days, outlining whether to eliminate or consolidate the agency or any sub-agencies.
Since taking office, Trump has put thousands of federal employees on paid leave.
The administration previously offered buyouts to nearly 2 million employees, allowing them to resign and receive full pay and benefits through September. As of Friday, Feb. 7, around 60,000 workers had taken the deal, far below the 200,000 the administration estimated would accept.
A judge placed a hold on the program while he considers arguments from labor unions who sued to stop it.
