DOGE Cuts Update Today: Treasury Plans ‘Substantial’ Layoffs

The U.S. Department of the Treasury plans to lay off a “substantial” number of employees as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s effort to shrink the size of the federal government, a department official said in a declaration included in a court filing.

The department is finalizing its plans in response to President Donald Trump‘s February 11 executive order that directed agency heads to “undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force,” according to the declaration from Trevor Norris, the deputy assistant secretary for human resources for the department, first reported by Bloomberg.

“These plans will be tailored for each bureau, and in many cases will require separations of substantial numbers of employees through reductions in force (RIFs),” Norris wrote.

He added that “because RIFs are seniority-based, a RIF in any particularly competitive area will disproportionately affect reinstated probationary employees.”

The Treasury has been contacted for comment via email.

The department has more than 100,000 employees, according to its website.

The declaration was among a collection of sworn affidavits by agency officials included in a court filing on Tuesday to document actions taken to comply with a 14-day temporary restraining order that directed 18 agencies to reinstate fired probationary employees.

Earlier in March, U.S. District Judge James Bredar, in a lawsuit brought by Democratic attorneys general, found the administration did not follow laws set out for large-scale layoffs, and ordered the employees to be reinstated.

How Many Jobs Has DOGE Cut So Far?

Tens of thousands of job losses have been announced across numerous federal agencies.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research office and could fire more than 1,000 scientists and other employees, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

Earlier in March, it was reported that the Internal Revenue Service plans to lose about 18,000 employees, or about 20 percent of its workforce. Meanwhile, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress that 10,000 workers at the United States Postal Service would be cut within a month.

The Department of Education has announced plans to lay off more than 1,300 employees, while the Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs, according to an internal memo obtained by the AP this month.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is reportedly planning to cut its civilian workforce by about 50,000 to 60,000 people.

At least 24,000 probationary workers had been terminated since Trump took office, according to a lawsuit filed by nearly 20 states alleging the mass firings are illegal. But earlier in March, two federal judges ordered 19 federal agencies to reinstate probationary workers who were fired.

Meanwhile, about 75,000 federal workers accepted the offer to quit in return for receiving pay and benefits until September 30.

How Much Spending Has DOGE Cut So Far?

DOGE has said its efforts have saved the federal government an estimated $115 billion as of March 11. Musk had initially said his goal was to trim $2 trillion from the federal budget, but backtracked in January, saying there was a “good shot” of cutting half that amount.

DOGE says the receipts provided on its website—showing contract, grant, and lease cancellations—represent about 30 percent of total savings, meaning the top-line figure is not yet verifiable.

According to the Musk Watch DOGE Tracker designed by data analyst Brian Banks, the verifiable savings, as of March 11, were about $8.6 billion.

Is DOGE a Government Agency?

Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office on January 20, officially creating DOGE to modernize “federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

Despite its name, it is not a government agency created by an Act of Congress but a task force charged with targeting waste and fraud in the federal government.