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President Trump is preparing to implement a significant downsizing of the federal government through an executive order that will be signed Tuesday. The order, which will be executed through the Department of Government Efficiency, could potentially eliminate entire federal agencies while implementing a strict hiring policy.
Under the new directive, agency leaders will collaborate with Elon Musk’s team to reduce the federal workforce and restrict hiring to essential positions only. According to a fact sheet reviewed by The Post, some agencies or portions of agencies might be dissolved if their functions aren’t mandated by law.
The order includes specific exemptions for personnel involved in national security, public safety, law enforcement, and immigration enforcement operations.
"It’s essentially like a nuclear bomb falls and destroys all your future plans,"
DC federal workers in a 'panic' over novel experience of job insecurity with Trump cuts https://t.co/q9wXSQeyoy #FoxNews
— AlexaShrugged (@AlexaShrugged) February 9, 2025
This initiative follows Trump’s earlier actions from January 20, when he implemented a freeze on civilian federal hiring and directed DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget to develop a 90-day plan for government reduction.
Once the current hiring freeze expires, agencies will face strict hiring limitations. For every four employees who leave federal service, only one new employee can be hired, though exceptions will be made for immigration, law enforcement, and public safety positions.
The administration’s move aligns with the president’s stated goals of reducing federal spending, decreasing national debt, and limiting the executive branch’s regulatory authority.
According to the fact sheet, the federal government currently encompasses more than 400 agencies and sub-agencies. The scope of federal employment resulted in salary expenditures reaching $300 billion in 2022, not including pension costs.
The president has already taken steps toward this goal by reducing the US Agency for International Development (USAID), mandating federal employees to return to in-person work, and directing agencies to offer buyouts to numerous federal workers.
