Americas

Americas

Trump to cut between 8% and 50% of staff at 22 government agencies

28 March 2025 08:41 (UTC +04:00)

The massive extent of planned government-wide staff cuts is revealed in an internal Trump administration memo showing a plan to slash the Treasury by a third and the Department of Housing and Urban Development by half, APA reports.

Those numbers, contained on a memo that was penned a week ago, come amid looming Reductions in Force that are expected to slash government payrolls.

Trump tasked federal agency heads to draw up plans for slashing their own ranks, with a timeline setting up the wide-scale RIFs next month.

Among the agencies absorbing stiff cuts are the Small Business Administration, at 43 percent, and HUD, at 50 percent, according to the memo, the Washington Post reported.

Cuts at the Education Department, which Trump has asked Secretary Linda McMahon to pare by half, are expected to save $6 billion, with another $1.9 billion coming from cuts at the Justice Department through an 8 percent cut there.

The National Science Foundation, long considered funding favorite among members of Congress from both parties, is facing a 28 percent cut, while the Commerce Department is facing a 30 percent.

At the Treasury, which includes the Internal Revenue Service, cuts are projected to reach 30 percent. The Post reported Saturday that officials anticipate a drop in tax revenue of more than 10 percent, or $500 billion.

Trump cabinet officials have been praising the cuts by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency at cabinet meetings and other public events.