2025 United States federal mass layoffs

Many hundred thousands of United States federal civil service workers have been laid off or fired since the start of the second presidency of Donald Trump.^[1][2] The Trump administration has called this an effort to reduce federal expenditures, reduce the ability of the government to regulate industry, and reduce the role of government in U.S. society.^{[citation needed]} Opponents of the effort say it is a hasty, ill-conceived effort that is reducing crucial and beneficial services, violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988,^[3] and increasing the power of the presidency.

The administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce have taken place in overlapping stages, including a January executive order to strip due process employment protections from civil servants;^[4][5] a January "deferred-resignation" deal;^[6][7] the unilateral closing of several agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.^[8]

The longest-running stage began on the first day of Trump's second term in office: an effort to fire tens of thousands of "probationary employees"—generally, workers hired, transferred, or promoted within the past year,^[9] and inciting a protest on President's Day.^[10] As of April 1, 2025^[update], about 60,000 workers have been laid off or fired.^[11] In some cases, the administration has rescinded layoff notifications.^[12]

A much greater number of federal workers are slated to be dismissed in a series of agency reductions in force (RIF).^[13] On February 26, agency leaders were ordered to submit plans for these RIFs by March 14.^[14][15]