The US government's civilian workforce shrank by 12%, or 386,826 workers, between September 2024 and January 2026, according to multiple reports. The reduction accelerated in March 2026, with 18,000 employees leaving that month alone, major media reported. The cuts have been concentrated in key departments, with the Treasury Department losing 24% of its staff and the Department of Health and Human Services losing 20%, according to multiple reports.
More than 4,000 employees were cut from top law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the Department of Justice, under the Trump administration, multiple reports indicate. The FBI lost more than 7% of its staff, about 2,600 people, since the 2024 fiscal year, according to multiple reports. The DEA lost about 6% of workers, and the ATF dropped more than double that figure, multiple reports said. In contrast, the Department of Homeland Security grew by less than 1% over the same period, according to multiple reports.
The results of these cuts have been catastrophic – driving up wait times for phone services and in-person field office appointments.
The Department of Justice's national security division lost more than a third of its staff, and its civil rights division lost more than half, according to multiple reports. About 7,000 DOJ jobs remain unfilled, multiple reports indicate. Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer, told The Independent that the administration's rhetoric on crime and terrorism does not match its actions. According to The Independent, Young described the hollowing out of agencies tasked with addressing crime and terrorism as evidence that the administration does not stand behind its words.
The Social Security Administration laid off more than 7,000 employees, leading to longer wait times and reduced services, major media reported. Phone wait times at the agency were more than 10 times higher than claimed on its website, according to major media. Frank Bisignano was appointed head of the Social Security Administration in October 2025 and admitted he had to Google the position when offered, major media reported. Senator Elizabeth Warren's report stated that the results of these cuts have been catastrophic, driving up wait times for phone services and in-person field office appointments. Warren said that since Day One, Donald Trump's attacks on Social Security have made it harder for Americans to get their benefits, and that her Social Security War Room has fought back to stop the damage.
Since Day One, Donald Trump’s attacks on Social Security have made it harder for Americans to get their benefits. We launched our Social Security War Room a year ago to fight back and stop Trump’s damage, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.
The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was disbanded and its functions taken over by the Office of Personnel Management, according to multiple reports. DOGE claimed to have slashed tens of billions of dollars in expenditures, but outside experts could not verify this due to lack of detailed public accounting, multiple reports indicate. Elon Musk, chair of DOGE, described the effort as "the chainsaw for bureaucracy" in a public speech. However, DOGE's claims about fraud have been disputed. Elon Musk falsely claimed that dead people and undocumented immigrants were receiving Social Security benefits and called it a 'ponzi scheme', according to a report by Senator Elizabeth Warren cited by major media. DOGE claimed 40% of calls to change direct deposit information were fraudulent, but SSA data found only two fraud cases out of 110,000 new phone claims, major media reported.
The number of people charged with federal drug crimes fell to its lowest level in decades in 2025, according to multiple reports. This decline coincides with staff cuts at the DEA and other law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security grew slightly, but the impact of reassignments to immigration enforcement remains unclear. The exact number of federal law enforcement agents reassigned to immigration enforcement is unknown, as is the effect on other crime-fighting efforts.
The administration talks a big game when it comes to crime and terrorism, but the fact that it’s hollowing out agencies tasked with addressing them shows that they don’t stand behind their words.
The impact of staff cuts on government efficiency is disputed. Critics, including former employees, claim the cuts have made the government less efficient. According to The Guardian, Maggie, a former federal employee at OPM, described losing her health insurance shortly after giving birth and said that cutting her job made the government less efficient. She also described the process as thoughtless and careless. Charles Melton, a former USDA employee of 20 years, told The Guardian that he was still angry and felt thrown away like garbage. In contrast, DOJ spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre stated that the department is the most efficient in American history, citing a low murder rate, arrests of cartel leaders, and successful Supreme Court rulings. This disagreement reflects the core political divide over the administration's downsizing efforts.
Several unknowns remain. It is unclear how many former federal employees have found new jobs after the buyouts and layoffs. The exact number of fraud cases found in Social Security benefits and how it compares to DOGE's claims is not known. The specific functions of the national security and civil rights divisions affected by staff cuts have not been detailed. The status of ethics letters needed by former employees like Maggie to start new jobs is also uncertain.
This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy.