2025: Federal Mass Layoffs Under the Trump Administration — A Quick Guide

In 2025, the federal government moved forward with large-scale workforce cuts under the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative. Agencies across health, tax, land management, and more announced reductions in force (RIFs) that affected tens of thousands of employees and triggered legal fights, union protests, and worries about service disruptions.

Which Agencies Were Hit (Reported Cuts)

• Health and Human Services (HHS) — Large numbers of probationary and other staff at HHS, the CDC and parts of NIH received termination notices. Legal actions soon followed over the lawfulness of some cuts.
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) — Thousands of probationary IRS employees were targeted, raising fears of tax-filing delays. Later reporting showed some layoff plans were reversed or workers asked to return.
• Department of the Interior — Hundreds to a few thousand job losses were reported at Interior, with impacts on BLM field offices responsible for public lands and wildfire response.
• Education, State, Commerce, Agriculture, GSA — Court filings revealed RIFs planned across at least 17 agencies. Some actions moved forward after court rulings, while others remained in flux.
• Homeland Security (USCIS, CISA, Coast Guard diversity staff) — Cuts and reassignments affected immigration services, cybersecurity units, and small specialized teams.

Impact and Pushback

Unions, Democratic lawmakers, and many federal workers warned the cuts would slow vital services, harm public-health research, and increase stress for remaining staff. Several lawsuits and injunctions complicated implementation, with some agencies revising or reversing layoff plans.

Bottom Line

The 2025 federal downsizing was broad and evolving: dozens of agencies reported planned or executed RIFs, some paused, others reversed, while court battles continued. For the most complete, up-to-date picture, consult Government Executive’s tracker and other national outlets.

Read Also: NASA Layoffs 2025: Nearly 4,000 Employees Cut Under Trump-Era Dismissal Plan