The Trump administration is advancing vigorously with one of its most significant campaign commitments: reducing the oversized federal workforce in Washington.
New estimates indicate that approximately 300,000 federal civilian employees are anticipated to leave their positions by the conclusion of 2025 — representing a decrease of about 12.5% since January.
Scott Kupor, the director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), informed Reuters that “80% of those employees would depart voluntarily and 20% would be dismissed.” If this forecast proves accurate, it will signify the most substantial contraction of the workforce in decades, nearly doubling the attrition rate observed in recent years.
“I cannot compel individuals to terminate employment,” Kupor clarified during an interview in Washington. “I must convince cabinet secretaries to embrace this vision of governmental efficiency.”
The current federal civilian workforce stands at approximately 2.4 million, not including the military’s 1.3 million active-duty personnel and around 600,000 U.S. Postal Service employees. Pew Research has reported that, collectively, federal employees represent just under 2% of the civilian workforce across the nation.
This restructuring is part of President Donald Trump’s commitment for his second term to create a government that is “leaner, faster, and cheaper.” Upon his return to the White House, Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency — DOGE — a new cabinet-level agency assigned with the responsibility of identifying waste, reducing payrolls, and eliminating bureaucratic obstacles.
At its launch, DOGE was led by billionaire Elon Musk, who likened the initiative to the urgency of the Manhattan Project. Musk initially pledged that the program would cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, although that goal was subsequently revised to $1 trillion. By April, Musk informed Trump’s Cabinet that the department was on course to reduce spending by $150 billion.
However, Musk’s time in office concluded unexpectedly due to a prominent conflict with the president, leading to Scott Kupor — a former senior executive at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz — being appointed as Trump’s HR chief. While Musk infused the position with a Silicon Valley style, Kupor has adopted a more systematic strategy, prioritizing buyouts and attrition rather than widespread layoffs.
Nonetheless, the magnitude of the reductions has unsettled Washington. The anticipated 300,000 departures exceed more than twice the 5.9% attrition rate recorded by the Partnership for Public Service in the fiscal year 2023. Although the majority of these departures are expected to be voluntary, Kupor acknowledged that specific dismissals are still a possibility.
Earlier in Trump’s second term, the leadership of OPM had urged agencies to terminate employees who were relatively new in their positions, as stated in a court filing. Unions have contested this strategy, cautioning that politically driven purges could undermine the stability of the government. These disputes are still pending in federal court.
Kupor refrained from disclosing which agencies are experiencing the most significant impacts, but he indicated that OPM will release updated headcount statistics later this year. In the meantime, agencies are being requested to present their own proposals for budget cuts to White House Budget Director Russ Vought as Trump readies his forthcoming budget request to Congress.
These figures contribute to a broader discussion regarding the extent and function of the federal government. Proponents of Trump’s downsizing initiative contend that Washington has become excessively large and unaccountable, detached from the economic challenges faced by average Americans. Trump himself has criticized “deep state bureaucrats” who, in his view, “enrich themselves at the expense of taxpayers while suffocating our economy with regulations.”
Critics caution that significant workforce cuts may severely impair vital services. Unions that represent federal workers argue that buyouts and layoffs of this magnitude will lead to delays in various areas, including veterans’ benefits and passport processing.
Trump seems unaffected by these concerns.
“The federal government is the largest, most bloated bureaucracy globally,” he stated earlier this year. “We are reducing its size. This is the taxpayers’ money, and they are entitled to more efficient use of it than this waste.”]} }]}
