White House orders agencies to draft plans for mass firings

People rally on Feb. 19 at the U.S. Health and Human Services headquarters to protest the polices of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. John McDonnell/ap

President Donald Trump’s administration distributed a memo Wednesday telling federal agencies they must develop plans to eliminate employees in large-scale firings.

The memo from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management directs agencies to submit plans by March 13 for what is known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate positions altogether.

It follows the firings of thousands of probationary employees in Trump’s effort to downsize the federal workforce he has described as bloated and impediment to his agenda.

“The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt,” Russell Vought, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, wrote in the memo viewed by Associated Press. “At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public.”

Trump’s executive order he signed with DOGE head Elon Musk specifically states agency leaders “shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force,” or RIF.

Some departments have already begun the process.

The General Services Administration, which handles federal real estate, told employees on Monday that a reduction in force was underway and they would do “everything in our power to make your departure fair and dignified.”

Editor’s note: Associated Press contributed to this article.

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