Federal layoffs continue as the White House and Department of Government Efficiency aim to strengthen the “fitness of the workforce” and cut federal spending.
“I think most of those great civil servants would say we want to be empowered to do our job. We don’t want the person who doesn’t show up five days a week to make it harder for us to do what we need to do,” Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with NBC.
A presidential memorandum published on March 20 to “remove an employee who does not meet the suitability criteria” for the Office of Personnel Management marks another order from the White House to reduce the number of federal employees.
“This decision has nothing to do with performance,” former park ranger Alex Wild wrote on Feb. 16 in an Instagram post following his termination. “My supervisors and park leadership have made it clear that I am a valued and essential part of the team.”
“I am the only EMT at my park and the first responder for any emergency. This is flat-out reckless,” Wild said.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of Jan. 7, 2025, the government employed 3 million citizens, composing 1.87% of the American workforce. According to Newsweek, approximately 62,530 workers have been laid off as of March 10, and 220,000 total jobs may be dismissed in 2025.
On Jan. 28, 2.3 million federal employees received an email offering six months of pay and benefits in exchange for resignation by Feb. 6. The email was a “pulse check,” special government employee and Department of Government Efficiency figurehead Elon Musk said in the administration’s first Cabinet meeting.
“Those million people that haven’t responded, though, Elon, they are on the bubble,” President Donald Trump added.
“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” Musk said. According to Musk, such steps are necessary for the health of the economy. However, others felt the layoffs were unethical.
Two U.S. district judges have challenged the order. Judge William Alsup ordered the immediate reinstatement of jobs for probationary employees in six agencies, and Judge James K. Bredar ordered the temporary reinstatement of probationary employees for 18 agencies.
“The firings, facilities closures, and program terminations currently ongoing by this administration are misguided, ill-informed, often illegal, and just plain stupid actions,” former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said. “They will also cause great harm.”
According to Sen. Patty Murray, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is crucial to the environmental landscape of her state, Washington.
“NOAA scientists play a crucial role in protecting our waters, oceans, and our fisheries,” Murray said in a virtual press conference. “It is beyond alarming to me that right now, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are choosing ‘break’ and taking a wrecking ball to NOAA offices.”
Some of the federal agencies impacted by job cuts include NASA, the IRS, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and more.
