In his quest to end the bureaucratic Deep State’s stranglehold on the federal government and eliminate waste and overspending, President Donald Trump and his administration are firing thousands of federal employees. The layoffs mostly affect probationary employees hired last-minute by the Biden administration, but more senior roles deemed unnecessary or ineffective in various agencies have also been cut. Many of the mass layoffs come as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) conducts its audits of federal agencies and executive departments, identifying waste and, in some cases, fraud within the federal bureaucracy.

An executive order Trump issued last week instructs to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs) … and to separate from Federal service temporary employees and reemployed annuitants working in areas that will likely be subject to the RIFs.” The president explained, “To restore accountability to the American public, this order commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has (DHS) fired over 400 staffers recently, including over 200 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees, roughly 130 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) employees, nearly 50 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees, and 10 DHS Science and Technology Directorate employees. Reportedly, a dozen U.S. Coast Guard members who have previously worked on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives have been given the option of transferring to border patrol duties instead of being fired. CISA employees involved with the Biden administration’s “Disinformation Governance Board” have also been placed on administrative leave while DHS officials consider terminating their roles.

A DHS spokesperson explained in a media statement, “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making sweeping cuts and reform across the federal government to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer.” He explained that the DHS firings “will result in roughly $50 million in savings for American taxpayers and incalculable valu[e] toward accountability and cutting red tape.” He added, “DHS component leads identified non-mission critical personnel in probationary status. We are actively identifying other wasteful positions and offices that do not fulfill DHS’s mission.”

According to another report, DOGE identified approximately 3,600 probationary employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who have now been fired. DOGE estimated that the firings would save American taxpayers about $600 million annually. An unnamed Trump administration official explained, “Health care is obviously an important goal for the new secretary, for the president.” He continued, “We want to make the government more efficient and want to reduce the size of the federal workforce, but we also want to make sure we’re very thoughtful about the critical functions that the government needs to perform.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also fired several hundred employees, according to CNN. The exact number of employees fired is not yet known, but the majority have been probationary workers. Following the fatal collision between a passenger airplane and a military helicopter above Washington, D.C. on January 29, Trump and his administration criticized lax FAA hiring standards, including an emphasis on DEI, introduced by previous presidential administrations. Firings reportedly included FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance workers but not air traffic controllers.

Over 1,000 probationary employees were dismissed from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) last week, according to a statement from the agency. “The personnel moves will save the department more than $98 million per year, and VA will redirect all of those resources back toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries,” the VA statement said. Secretary Doug Collins explained that the agency is “focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care.” He added, “We thank these employees for their service to VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately it’s the right call to better support the veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve.”

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have also made thousands of layoffs. The USDA’s Forest Service dismissed 3,400 employees, accounting for approximately 10% of the agency’s workforce. Newly-minted Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also announced that the USDA slashed millions of dollars in contracts, including contracts for a “Brazilian forest and gender consultant” and a “Central American gender assessment consultant.” DOGE has also begun its review of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with millions of dollars in spending cuts and layoffs being anticipated.