JUST IN: Trump Orders ‘Massive’ Federal Downsizing In Directive To Agencies

The Trump administration has issued a sweeping directive ordering all federal agencies to prepare for significant staff and resource reductions. Reorganization plans are due no later than March 13.

A newly released memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) outlines President Donald Trump’s push for “maximum elimination” of non-essential government functions, calling for deep cuts to bloated federal bureaucracy.

The directive is part of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative, launched under an executive order signed on February 11. The order demands agencies “eliminate waste, bloat, and insularity” while increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

Key objectives outlined in the memorandum include:

• Cutting full-time government jobs deemed unnecessary.
• Closing or consolidating regional field offices.
• Implementing a hiring freeze, where only one new employee may be hired for every four departures.
• Reducing the federal government’s real estate footprint.
• Slashing budgets and cutting reliance on outside contractors.

According to the memo, agencies must “undertake large-scale reductions in force (RIFs)” to shrink the size of government and deliver “better service for the American people.” The move aligns with Trump’s 2024 campaign pledge to drain the swamp and overhaul a federal workforce he has long criticized as corrupt and inefficient.

The directive also warns agencies against maintaining “non-critical positions” and emphasizes the importance of using automation and technology to replace bureaucratic inefficiencies. With a strict March 13 deadline, agency heads are expected to submit their downsizing blueprints for review by the OMB and OPM.

Budget Director Russell Vought and Charles Ezell, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, communicated in the memo to agency leaders that the federal government is “costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt.”

They wrote, “At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens.”

The Trump administration’s reorganization plan includes mandatory job cuts through attrition, terminations, and position eliminations, targeting unnecessary or redundant positions. A strict hiring freeze will also be enforced, allowing no more than one new hire for every four departures as part of an effort to curb workforce expansion.

The administration is pushing for the closure and consolidation of federal offices, particularly those located outside Washington, D.C., in a move aimed at reducing operational costs. To further streamline government efficiency, union contracts will be renegotiated to eliminate inefficiencies and increase employee accountability.

Another major shift includes the potential relocation of government offices from D.C. to lower-cost regions, reducing overhead expenses and decentralizing federal operations. Agencies will also conduct a thorough review of “essential” employees, determining which roles remain protected and who can be removed under the administration’s workforce reduction strategy.

The plan’s second phase, due by April 14, will build on these initial cuts, focusing on further downsizing, agency eliminations, and potential relocations to reshape the federal government for long-term efficiency.

Despite recent pushback, the Trump administration is moving full speed ahead, setting the stage for one of the most significant shake-ups in Washington in decades.