The Trump Administration to Lay off Over 200,000 Civil Jobs, Leading to Mass Protest and Legal Issues

The U.S. Pentagon is aiming to cut up to 60,000 civilian jobs, announced Pete Hegseth, as part of the Trump administration’s effort to optimize government operations and reduce financial expenditure. On the other hand, the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is planning to eliminate 20-25% of its workforce by May 15 in response to the downsizing of the 

Targeting nearly 200,000 jobs across the United States, the United States government has sparked legal challenges and massive backlash from the public. Since Hegseth’s announcement, around 200,000 civilian employees have been fired or tagged for termination from a 2.3 million civilian U.S. government workforce. This article from The Silicon Journal sheds light on the scenario triggered by the layoff of such a huge workforce by the Trump administration.

The Pentagon Layoff

The advisory board established by Trump and led by tech mogul Elon Musk, namely DOGE, has been implemented to cut off the Pentagon’s workforce through several resignations, freezing hirings, and other measures. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon is nullifying over $580 million in grants and contracts, considering them wasteful expenditures. 

The headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Defense is planning to slash around 50,000-60,000 jobs to reduce the size of the federal workforce and streamline the United States government operations. The layoff indicates a reduction of 5%-8% of the defense workforce.

To achieve the target of cutting 5% to 8% in a civilian workforce of over 900,000, the Pentagon aims to reduce 6,000 positions in a month by not only replacing workers who continuously leave but also eliminating the jobs of the voluntary workforce. 

This strict move by the United States government has raised concerns that service members may be considered to fill the empty civilian jobs due to the hiring freeze. However, information from unknown internal sources has revealed that Pete Hegseth is committed to not compromising military readiness as a result of the hiring freeze.

Billionaire Elon Musk stands at the forefront of this job-cutting initiative, as appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Elon stands responsible for deconstructing the federal agencies and cutting the government workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

While breaking the news to ABC, the defense official stated, “The number sounds high, but I would focus on the percentage; a 5% to 8% reduction is not a drastic one.” He further added by saying that “Hegseth is confident it can be done without negatively impacting readiness in order to make sure that our resources are allocated in the right direction.”

Detailed Insight into the Process

The Pentagon is using three key ways to achieve the targeted cuts-

i) Voluntary Resignations

ii) Firing Probationary Workers

iii) Laying off Employees who Routinely Leave

On average, 70,000 civilians are hired annually, which means 6,000 per month. Among them, the number of eliminated jobs remains unclear as the military has discretion over which positions are exempt from the freeze. Due to court challenges, 5,400 out of 54,000 probationary workers are currently stalled in the department.  

IRS: Internal Revenue Service Cut Offs

This service department takes care of the revenue service for the United States federal government, responsible for collecting federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS, or Internal Revenue Service, was created to administer and enforce the Internal Revenue Laws.

This service department had about 100,000 workers when Trump took over his presidency. Intending to cut its workforce by 20-25% means laying off 25,000 employees. This agency has taken this step in collaboration with the United States government to reduce the number of career workers. 

The targeted employees include approximately 5,000 IRS employees who took buyouts in February and roughly 7,000 probationary workers who were fired. There is news of the reinstatement of probationary staff as indicated in the court's March 13 rulings.

Similar to the Pentagon, which cut off 60,000 civilian jobs, the IRS is also targeting to cut off 25,000 employees to slit federal spending. The layoffs have primarily aimed at probationary workers, many in jobs for less than a year, rather than long-tenured staffers.

Mass Protest Against the Layoffs

A mass protest was sparked surrounding the layoff of 25,000 probationary workers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Federal judges ordered the rehiring of thousands, indicating legal issues in the mass terminations. The judge ruled in March found the termination was illegal, forcing federal agencies to begin reinstating them to avoid the wrath of the public. Despite the order, Trump demanded that federal agencies submit their plans for large-scale cut-offs by March 13. From the United States Institute of Peace to the IRS, the United States government is aiming to reduce the wasteful financial burden on the shoulders of the administration through these mass layoffs.