The Trump-Vance administration has waged an all-out assault on the federal civil service – engaging in large-scale firings of thousands of federal employees and cutting millions of dollars of programs that serve the American people. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has served as the hub of these agency cuts and reductions – working in concert with Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency’s” (DOGE). In February, OMB and OPM requested that agencies submit for approval their Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans (ARRP), and the deadlines for ARRPs recently passed. We’re investigating the cuts recommended by ARRPs as well as the likely impact of these firings.

Democracy Forward has filed suit and a motion for rapid relief to compel OMB and OPM to release records pertaining to the agencies’ request for Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans (ARRP). In addition to our Freedom of Information Act requests to OMB and OPM, we’ve also sent records requests to 35+ other agencies seeking copies of the plans (including copies of plans approved by OMB and OPM).

We’ve started to receive some records from individual agencies that show their submissions to OMB and OPM, although they are heavily redacted. For example, we received an eight page production from NARA, containing the statutory functions of NARA, their current organization chart structure, and six and a half redacted pages. We’ll be pushing back against redactions as these plans become approved and continuing to post updates here.

But the administration is also moving faster than the ARRP plans: during the past few weeks, we have already witnessed widespread RIFs originating from the White House and DOGE, some apparently even ahead of approved ARRPs. These RIFs have already had a devastating impact on the ability of the government to deliver crucial services for millions of Americans and for American interests overseas.

  • Department of Health and Human Services: HHS announced on March 27 a reduction in force and a “dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order” that would result in the dismissal of up to 10,000 people. At the CDC, targeted programs address all aspects of American lives, will lead to worse health outcomes, and will contribute to the decline of US life expectancy. Those fired include specialists who track asthma, air pollution, smoking, gun violence, reproductive health, climate change and other health threats. At the FDA, staff who regulate drugs, food, medical devices, and tobacco products received layoff notices. Cuts at NIH targeted scientists who focus on sickle cell disease, neurodevelopmental disorders, pandemic preparedness, and much more.
  • Department of Education: At the Department of Education, the administration is seeking to shrink the Department’s workforce by nearly half, with cuts to all divisions. These mass RIFs create grave concerns about the provision of services to millions of Americans, including how these cuts will impact low-income, rural schools; create chaos for student loan borrowers; eliminate the ability to understand student performance nationwide; and hinder investigations into instances of discrimination.
  • Internal Revenue Service: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is bracing for additional proposed cuts that could cut as much as half of its workforce. These reports follow the IRS’s efforts to lay off probationary employees and close more than 100 IRS offices across the country that house taxpayer assistance centers. Such closures and reductions in staff could impact the agency’s ability to help taxpayers during the tax season and jeopardize initiatives that the agency took to improve collections, including increasing audits on wealthy people and stricter enforcement of rules governing certain businesses
  • US Agency for International Development: The State Department on Friday, March 28, 2025, formally notified Congress that it was officially shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and that it “intends to assume responsibility for many of USAID’s functions and its ongoing programming.” The final notice included the removal of all non-statutory positions employees, which follows efforts made by the Trump administration starting in January to eliminate USAID and has resulted in multiple court cases challenging those efforts. This loss of USAID funds will be felt by millions worldwide, including support for Ukraine, the largest recipient of funds, where assistance has touched practically every aspect of Ukrainian life; South Africa HIV prevention and treatment funding; and funding education for girls and training female journalists.
  • U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness: The administration has also moved to eliminate the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). With this reduction in force, the U.S. would lose its only agency at the federal level with the responsibility of ending homelessness. Federal data on homelessness suggests that on a single night in January 2024, more than 700,000 people experienced homelessness.
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services: At the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), most employees have now been placed on administrative leave – threatening federal funding for many museums and libraries around the country, and support for basic library services in rural libraries.