The United States government’s chief personnel officer stated that since President Trump took office, 50,000 federal employees have been hired to strengthen immigration enforcement and protect national security.
Federal government human resources director Scott Kupor, in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, November 13, said that the majority of the new hires are working in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. This reflects a shift in focus of this administration’s policies.
While bringing in new staff, the Trump administration has significantly reduced other federal positions, with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Health and Human Services implementing hiring freezes and layoffs. Some employees responsible for enforcing civil rights laws, collecting taxes, and supervising clean energy projects have also been laid off.
This personnel adjustment is part of Trump’s plan to reshape the government and significantly reduce other federal positions.
In August, Kupor stated that approximately 300,000 people are expected to be cut this year. He also stated, “This is aimed at restructuring the workforce, focusing on what we consider the most critical priorities.”
In January of this year, President Trump appointed billionaire Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in order to implement a downsizing plan aimed at reducing 2.4 million civilian employees. Both believe that the federal workforce is bloated and inefficient.
As part of the downsizing plan, around 154,000 employees have accepted buyout offers from the federal government, covering areas such as weather forecasting, food safety, healthcare programs, and space projects.
(This article references reporting by Reuters)