White House begins review of federal agency plans for second round of mass layoffs, sources say [View all]

Source: Reuters

March 21, 2025 6:22 AM EDT Updated 10 hours ago


WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - White House officials are reviewing federal agencies' downsizing plans, a move expected to result in the mass firing of thousands of government workers within the coming weeks, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

President Donald Trump had given the agencies until March 13 to draw up plans for a second wave of mass layoffs as part of his rapid-fire effort to reshape and reduce the size of the federal government, which he has called bloated and inefficient. All U.S. government agencies have submitted their plans, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. No deadline has been set for completing the review. One of the two sources said the White House would like to see the entire process wrapped up by the end of September.

"We're going to take our time," the source said. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire whose Department of Government Efficiency is the driving force behind Trump's downsizing effort, is "being kept abreast" of significant details of the review but is not "combing through every document," the second source said.

Trump is not involved with the review, which is being led by DOGE, the White House's Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human resources arm, that source said. "Some of the plans will be sent back because they'll need more work and details," the source said. "Once they are approved, the agencies will go back and handle their RIFs (reduction in force plans)."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-begins-review-federal-agency-plans-second-round-mass-layoffs-sources-2025-03-21/