The ongoing wave of job cuts in the US administration has intensified, with more than 9,500 government employees dismissed by 14 February under the leadership of President Donald Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk, according to news agency Reuters.
The layoffs have impacted employees across the Departments of Homeland Security, Energy, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services.
Those with less than a year of service have been disproportionately affected, as they have relatively weaker job security.
According to various US media reports citing White House officials, alongside the 75,000 employees who have accepted voluntary retirement under Trump’s initiative, approximately 10,000 have been directly dismissed.
Although the country has around 2.3 million federal employees, the current downsizing has already eliminated nearly 3% of the workforce.
Trump has justified the sweeping job cuts by arguing that an oversized government workforce exacerbates financial waste and fraud.
The administration is currently burdened with a staggering $36 trillion in debt and faced a $1.8 trillion deficit last year, underscoring the need for structural reforms.
While congressional Republicans have largely supported Trump’s cost-cutting measures, Democrats have accused him of overstepping constitutional financial management authority vested in Congress.
Beyond layoffs, Trump and Musk are spearheading changes to federal job security policies.
They have also suspended foreign aid programmes and are reportedly planning to dismantle agencies such as USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Citing Reuters, reports indicate that nearly half of the trainee workforce at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is set to lose their jobs.
The impact of the layoffs has extended to essential public services.
In Los Angeles, post-wildfire clean-up operations remain stalled over a month after devastating blazes, highlighting the tangible consequences of the government’s downsizing efforts.
Meanwhile, Musk’s management of the newly formed "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) has drawn sharp criticism.
Detractors argue that the layoffs are driven more by ideological motives than genuine cost-cutting objectives.
However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has dismissed concerns, asserting that thorough audits are underway across various government agencies.
Experts suggest that Musk’s restructuring campaign is primarily being executed by young engineers with little prior experience in public administration.
Analysts believe that the layoff decisions appear to be influenced more by political philosophy than by economic pragmatism.
