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The Federal Work Force Cuts So Far, Agency by Agency

By Elena Shao and Ashley Wu

The data on this page was last updated on May 12, 2025.

Confirmed cuts*At least58,566
Employees who took buyoutsAbout76,290
More planned reductionsAt least149,320

*Some of these employees have been temporarily reinstated, following court orders.

Tens of thousands of employees across the federal government have left their jobs, been put on leave or been fired as a part of the government-gutting initiative of the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk. Federal agencies have been directed to make plans to reduce their work forces even further.

Confirmed reduction so far, by agency

Voice of America (U.S. Agency for Global Media)More than 99%
U.S. Agency for International Development More than 99%
AmeriCorps 93%
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 85%
Education 46%
Health and Human Services 24%
Energy 13%
Internal Revenue Service (Treasury)11%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Commerce)11%
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 10%

Note: Offices or agencies with less than 200 employees at the beginning of the year are not shown here.

Based on the latest available information, reductions could affect at least 12 percent of the 2.4 million civilian federal workers — a number that could grow as more of the agencies’ plans come into focus.

The so-called Department of Government Efficiency — created by executive order — has circumvented a Republican-controlled Congress, which has chosen not to check its authority. Still, it has been subject to frequent legal challenges. Thousands of those fired were reinstated in February, following court orders. But two decisions in early April from the Supreme Court and an appeals court sided with the Trump administration to block the lower court rulings reinstating fired probationary workers.

No official tally of cuts to the federal work force exists. Here are the layoffs, buyouts taken and planned reductions, by agency, that The New York Times has confirmed through verified sources within federal agencies, court filings and press and public statements.

Agriculture

Reduction so far: 6%

Confirmed cuts*About5,700
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Most have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

AmeriCorps

Reduction so far: 93%

Total planned reduction: 93%

Confirmed cutsUp to650
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

Central Intelligence Agency

Reduction so far: Less than 1%

Total planned reduction: 5%

Confirmed cutsAbout80
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsMore than1,000

Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Reduction so far: 11%

Total planned reduction: 19%

Confirmed cutsAbout800
Confirmed buyoutsAbout500
More planned reductionsMore than1,000

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Reduction so far: 85%

Total planned reduction: 85%

Confirmed cuts*About1,480
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Most employees have been placed on administrative leave, pending court cases.

Defense

Reduction so far: 2%

Total planned reduction: 6%

Confirmed cuts*About10
Confirmed buyoutsAbout21,000
More planned reductionsUp to39,000

*Includes four senior officials and top lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Education

Reduction so far: 46%

Total planned reduction: 46%

Confirmed cuts*About1,380
Confirmed buyoutsAbout570
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Sixty-five probationary workers have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

Energy

Reduction so far: 13%

Confirmed cuts*Up to1,000
Confirmed buyoutsAbout1,000
More planned reductionsUnknown

*About 550 probationary workers have been reinstated and put on paid leave.

Environmental Protection Agency

Reduction so far: 5%

Total planned reduction: 12%

Confirmed cuts*At least840
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsAt least1,150

*About 420 probationary workers have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Reduction so far: 10%

Confirmed cuts*About160
Confirmed buyoutsAbout500
More planned reductionsAbout750

*Most have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

General Services Administration

Reduction so far: 3%

Confirmed cuts*At least360
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Most have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

Health and Human Services

Reduction so far: 24%

Total planned reduction: 24%

Confirmed cuts and buyouts*About20,000
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Some 2,500 probationary workers have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave. Some employees who work at the F.D.A.’s food safety labs have been rehired.

Homeland Security

Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Reduction so far: More than 99%

Confirmed cuts*About150
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*The administration shut down the entire civil rights branch alongside two ombudsman offices.

Two ombudsman offices

Reduction so far: More than 99%

Confirmed cutsUp to160
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Reduction so far: 4%

Confirmed cutsAt least140
Confirmed buyoutsMore than800
More planned reductionsUnknown

Transportation Security Administration

Reduction so far: Less than 1%

Confirmed cutsAbout240
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

Other Homeland Security agencies

Confirmed cuts*About170
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Most have been contacted for reinstatement.

Housing and Urban Development

Reduction so far: 4%

Total planned reduction: 14%

Confirmed cuts*At least310
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsAt least930

*Most are in the process of getting reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Reduction so far: More than 99%

Total planned reduction: More than 99%

Confirmed cutsAbout70
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

Interior

Reduction so far: 4%

Confirmed cuts*About1,880
Confirmed buyoutsMore than1,100
More planned reductionsUnknown

*About 450 are back at work, and most of the rest have been reinstated and put on administrative leave.

Justice

Reduction so far: Less than 1%

Confirmed cuts*At least60
Confirmed buyoutsAbout270
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Includes more than two dozen prosecutors who worked either for the special counsel who prosecuted Mr. Trump or on cases related to Jan. 6; more than 20 immigration judges; and nine high-ranking F.B.I. officials.

Labor

Reduction so far: 1%

Confirmed cuts*About170
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Most have been reinstated and are back at work.

NASA

Reduction so far: Less than 1%

Confirmed cutsAbout20
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

National Endowment for the Humanities

Reduction so far: 78%

Total planned reduction: 78%

Confirmed cutsAbout140
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

National Science Foundation

Reduction so far: 10%

Confirmed cuts*About170
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Half of the fired employees were quickly rehired.

National Security Council

Agency size is not known

Confirmed cuts*About160
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*These aides were sent home.

Small Business Administration

Reduction so far: 5%

Total planned reduction: 46%

Confirmed cuts*About300
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsAbout2,700

*Most have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

Social Security Administration

Reduction so far: 5%

Total planned reduction: 17%

Confirmed cutsAt least190
Confirmed buyoutsAt least2,860
More planned reductionsAbout7,000

State

Reduction so far: 1%

Confirmed cutsAbout100
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsAbout2,150

Transportation

Reduction so far: 1%

Confirmed cuts*About780
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Most have been reinstated and are back at work.

Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

Reduction so far: 11%

Total planned reduction: 24%

Confirmed cuts*About7,320
Confirmed buyoutsAbout4,130
More planned reductionsUp to12,740

*All employees will be reinstated and placed on paid leave.

Other Treasury Department agencies

Confirmed cuts*About300
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Most have been reinstated and put on paid administrative leave.

U.S. Agency for Global Media

Voice of America

Reduction so far: More than 99%

Total planned reduction: More than 99%

Confirmed cuts*About1,300
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*Some employees are expected to return to work after a federal court ordered the agency to resume programming.

U.S. Agency for International Development

Reduction so far: More than 99%

Total planned reduction: More than 99%

Confirmed cuts*About10,000
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

*The State Department said it would reduce the staff to some 15 positions.

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

Reduction so far: More than 99%

Total planned reduction: More than 99%

Confirmed cutsAbout16
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUnknown

Veterans Affairs

Reduction so far: Less than 1%

Total planned reduction: 17%

Confirmed cuts*About1,960
Confirmed buyoutsUnknown
More planned reductionsUp to80,900

*Most have been reinstated and are in the process of returning to work.

Notes and Methodology

The figures above are most likely an undercount. Agencies that have let go of an unspecified number of employees are not reflected here.

Outside of the general effort to shrink the size of the federal work force and gut diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Mr. Trump has also targeted specific individuals at a number of independent agencies, many of which are also not reflected here.

Most federal agencies have not made verified numbers public, and no centralized database of confirmed figures exists. As a result, The New York Times compiled data from sources within the federal agencies, court documents and press statements.

Confirmed cuts: The number of federal workers who have been sent termination notices, fired, laid off, placed on administrative leave, sent home or who were told to halt work, regardless of subsequent reinstatements because of court order or agency reversals.

Confirmed buyouts: In February, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management said that about 75,000 workers across departments had accepted deferred resignation offers. Another round of buyout offers was sent to employees in several departments in April. Confirmed buyouts by agency are shown only when known, and may not reflect the total displayed in the summary figures.

More planned reductions: Can include a combination of buyouts, firings and layoffs. In some cases, the breakdown between the three categories was not specified.

To determine the amount of the proposed reduction in each agency or subagency’s work force, The Times compiled these numbers into a database alongside data on agency size, as of September 2024, from the O.P.M. database on federal employment. More recent numbers on agency sizes were used where available.

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