Trump administration lays off thousands of federal workers as cuts intensify

While officials declined to specify the exact number of layoffs, they confirmed the reductions would far exceed the 77,000 employees who had already accepted buyout offers. That initial program, which ended Wednesday after a judge’s ruling, fell short of the administration’s goal of cutting 10% of the federal workforce.

“This is not about hitting a number—it’s about making government more efficient,” said a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Department of Energy is set to terminate most or all of its 2,000 probationary employees, while at least five other agencies—the Department of Education, Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Small Business Administration (SBA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and General Services Administration—have also begun layoffs.

The Small Business Administration has already let go of 720 employees, roughly 20% of its permanent workforce, while the Department of Education has fired at least 60 probationary workers across multiple offices, including civil rights, federal student aid, communications, and legal departments. Even OPM, the agency responsible for managing the federal workforce, has seen terminations among its probationary staff.

“These are sudden and significant cuts,” said a union official representing OPM employees, adding that supervisors received no prior notice before the dismissals.

Elon Musk, head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been spearheading the administration’s efforts to streamline the federal workforce. On Thursday, Musk and his team began scrutinizing the Department of Housing and Urban Development for potential budget and personnel reductions, according to sources familiar with the process.

President Trump also signed an executive order Tuesday directing agencies to coordinate with DOGE on large-scale workforce reductions, limiting federal hiring to one new employee for every four departures.

The abrupt layoffs have sent shockwaves through the federal workforce. Employees still in their probationary period fear they could be dismissed at any moment, leading to rampant speculation and anxiety.

At the Department of Health and Human Services, rumors swirled Thursday that newly appointed Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would soon initiate deep cuts at agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although no firings had been confirmed by evening, Kennedy had previously suggested he would seek to reduce NIH’s staff by hundreds of positions.

As layoffs continue, the administration is also rolling out new surveillance measures targeting remaining employees. At the SBA, the government has implemented monitoring software that tracks keystrokes and can remotely activate cameras and microphones on work computers. Similar tools are being deployed at the General Services Administration, where employees have been warned their login and swipe-in activity will be closely monitored.

Reports suggest that the administration is considering the use of keylogger software to track everything employees type, raising further concerns among federal workers.

While the Pentagon has a national security carve-out that exempts it from workforce reductions, civilian employees were eligible for buyouts. This has fueled uncertainty among defense workers, leading to a surge in activity on job boards catering to national security professionals.

Anthony Niles, co-founder of JOBSwithDOD, noted a sharp rise in interest from federal employees seeking private-sector roles.

“We’re seeing a significant uptick in skilled professionals looking for opportunities outside of government,” Niles said. “People are wondering—where does this stop?”

With further layoffs expected in the coming weeks, the Trump administration’s aggressive push to cut government jobs is reshaping the federal workforce. Whether these moves will achieve the administration’s stated goal of efficiency—or simply create instability—remains to be seen.