federal workforce reduction

Extracted Attributes

• Primary Goal

  Reduce the size of the Federal Government's workforce

• Stated Rationale

  Efficiency improvements, workforce optimization

• Impacted Agencies

  State Department, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

• Hiring Ratio Target

  One new hire for every four employees that depart

• Key Policy Mechanisms

  Hiring freezes, Reductions in Force (RIFs), attrition

• Prioritized RIF Areas

  Functions not mandated by statute or other law, including agency diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives

• Projected Workforce Decrease

  Hundreds of thousands of federal employees

• Estimated Workforce Decrease (early 2025)

  ~23,700 employees (preliminary OPM data)

Timeline

• A similar federal hiring freeze was instituted in the early days of the first Trump administration. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2017

• President Donald Trump signs a presidential memorandum instituting a federal hiring freeze on the first day of his second administration. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-01-20

• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issue a joint memorandum, 'Federal Civilian Hiring Freeze Guidance,' detailing rules for implementation of the hiring freeze. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-01-20

• U.S. District Judge Susan Illston finds that Trump's administration needs congressional approval for sizable reductions, issuing a preliminary injunction against downsizing plans. (Source: web_search_results)

  2025-05

• The Supreme Court rules to lift a preliminary injunction, clearing the way for President Donald Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce and affirming executive power in a case brought by the AFGE union. (Source: related_documents, web_search_results)

  2025-07-08

• The State Department prepares for widespread layoffs, expecting nearly 3,000 employees to leave as part of a major reorganization, including approximately 1,350 layoffs through Reduction in Force (RIF). (Source: web_search_results)

  2025-07

• The extended government-wide hiring freeze is expected to lift, as per a White House memo. (Source: web_search_results)

  2025-10-15

2025 United States federal hiring freeze

The 2025 United States federal hiring freeze is a policy instituted by a presidential memorandum signed by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, on the first day of his second administration immediately instituting a hiring freeze on federal employees. The same day as the presidential memorandum, the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget issued a joint memorandum, titled "Federal Civilian Hiring Freeze Guidance," detailing to agencies ruled for implementation of the hiring freeze. The policy resembled a similar hiring freeze instituted in 2017, in the early days of the first Trump administration.

Web Search Results

• Federal workforce likely to shrink further under extended hiring freeze

  In the first few months of the Trump administration’s agency upheavals, new data from OPM shows that the federal workforce has seen a roughly 23,700-employee decrease, not accounting for any feds who have opted for a deferred resignation, and who will remain on the government’s rolls until October. Read more: Hiring/Retention OPM said the data is preliminary and it expects “hundreds of thousands” more federal employees to be ousted later this year. [...] A memo the White House sent to agencies Monday extended the governmentwide hiring freeze for another three months — a move that will likely deepen staffing reductions as the Trump administration pushes forward with simultaneous efforts to shrink the existing federal workforce. The hiring freeze had previously been expected to lift on July 15. But after this week’s announcement, agencies will remain barred from filling vacant positions or creating any new jobs until Oct. 15. [...] In its memo Monday, White House noted that the hiring freeze still allows agencies to reallocate or reassign staff as needed — an effort the Trump administration has been focused on for months. Some agencies are preparing for reductions in force, which may be imminent after the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to lift a preliminary injunction that had been barring agencies from moving forward with their staff downsizing plans.

• Implementing The President's "Department of Government Efficiency ...

  Sec. 3. Reforming the Federal Workforce to Maximize Efficiency and Productivity. (a) Hiring Ratio. Pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025 (Hiring Freeze), the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition (Plan). The Plan shall require that each agency hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart, consistent with the plan and [...] (c) Reductions in Force. Agency Heads shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs), consistent with applicable law, and to separate from Federal service temporary employees and reemployed annuitants working in areas that will likely be subject to the RIFs. All offices that perform functions not mandated by statute or other law shall be prioritized in the RIFs, including all agency diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; all agency initiatives,

• Supreme Court clears the way for Trump's plans to downsize the ...

  In May, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that Trump’s administration needs congressional approval to make sizable reductions to the federal workforce. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to block Illston’s order, finding that the downsizing could have broader effects, including on the nation’s food-safety system and health care for veterans. [...] 3 min read WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to downsize the federal workforce despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs. The justices overrode lower court orders that temporarily froze the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency. [...] Trending: VA cutting 30k jobs in 2025 DHS prepares for spending surge Agencies to cut hundreds of websites Workforce Supreme Court clears the way for Trump’s plans to downsize the federal workforce -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to downsize the federal workforce. The order comes despite warnings that critical... Image 9 MARK SHERMAN July 8, 2025 5:00 pm

• Reductions in Force (RIF) - OPM

  ### Resources For New / Prospective Employees Federal Employees HR Professionals Managers Reductions in Force (RIF) ========================= Overview ======== The U.S. Office of Personnel Management develops policy and provides guidance to Federal agencies regarding Reduction in Force (RIF). This page serves as a portal to assist you in locating pertinent information and content related to RIF in the Federal Government. [...] Learning About the RIF Regulations ---------------------------------- One of the most difficult situations in any worker's life is being laid off. In the Federal Government, layoffs are called reduction in force (RIF) actions. When an agency must abolish positions, the RIF regulations determine whether an employee keeps his or her present position, or whether the employee has a right to a different position. [...] The Workforce Reshaping Operations Handbook with Appendices assists Federal agencies that are reshaping by identifying mandatory procedures that agencies must follow and by suggesting related options that may reduce the likelihood of involuntary separations. Back to Top Summary of Reduction in Force Under OPM's Regulations ===================================================== On this Page ------------

• State Dept lays off 1,350 employees as reorganization nears final ...

  A Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to resume its plans to shrink the federal workforce and reorganize agencies. In total, the department expects nearly 3,000 employees will leave as part of a major reorganization — approximately 15% of its total workforce. About 1,600 employees have already agreed to leave the agency through voluntary incentives, including both rounds of the “deferred resignation” program. [...] Sign up for our daily newsletter so you never miss a beat on all things federal The State Department told lawmakers in June that it plans to lay off nearly 1,900 employees through a reduction-in-force. In earlier versions of these plans, as many as 700 Foreign Service offices would’ve received RIF notices. Between the RIFs and departures under the deferred resignation programs, the department told Congress in June that it was looking at an 18% cut to its workforce. [...] “We understand that you may have erroneously received a Reduction in Force (RIF) letter earlier today. That was an administrative error. Please disregard that notification. Your position is not being abolished as part of the Department reorganization,” Lew Olowski, the senior bureau official in charge of the Bureau of Global Talent Management, wrote in a notice shared with Federal News Network.