The new head of human resources announced on Thursday that the Trump administration is expected to cut approximately 300,000 federal jobs this year, representing a 12.5% reduction in the government workforce since January.
Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor stated that 80% of the expected workforce reductions would result from voluntary departures, while the remaining 20% would be due to firings. This marks nearly double the 154,000 employees who accepted buyouts last month.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has initiated a sweeping effort to reduce the size of the 2.4 million-member federal civilian workforce, arguing that it is overly large and inefficient.
"I cannot force people to lay people off,” Kupor said in an interview in Washington on Thursday. He said he would have to persuade cabinet secretaries to buy into his vision of government efficiency.
The comments contrast with the first few months of Trump’s second term, when OPM leadership explicitly directed agencies to dismiss employees new to their roles, according to a court filing.
If Kupor’s estimate is accurate, the number of employees leaving the federal workforce will be more than double the 5.9% attrition in the U.S. government's civilian workforce in fiscal year 2023, the most recent measure of voluntary departures compiled by the non-profit Partnership for Public Service.
Kupor didn't provide specific headcount figures for individual federal agencies, noting that the Office of Personnel Management will release those numbers at a later date.
He also stated that government agencies are preparing proposals for additional workforce reductions, which will be submitted to White House Budget Director Russ Vought. These proposals will inform the president’s upcoming budget request to Congress. Kupor added that he met with officials from the budget office on Wednesday to discuss the process.
