Since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in 2025, his administration has aggressively downsized the federal workforce, which has disrupted key agencies, especially those responsible for environmental protection and climate action. Through executive orders and agency actions, tens of thousands of federal employees have been dismissed—some of which has been ruled illegal— posing serious risks to climate research, environmental justice, and public safety. This blog post provides a timeline of the federal workforce cuts and the corresponding threats these cuts make to climate action and energy justice.
Timeline of Federal Workforce Cuts
January 2025 – Federal Employee Buyouts: In a first bid to reduce the federal workforce, the Trump administration offered buyouts to thousands of federal employees, but far fewer employees took the offer than expected. Additionally, Trump created DOGE, led by Elon Musk, to “shrink the federal workforce.” The mass layoffs and shrinking went through its first wave in February.
February 2025 – Mass Layoffs Begin: DOGE began widespread layoffs, with a primary focus on probationary employees. In turn, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued an order to terminate thousands of probationary employees, heavily affecting scientific, environmental, and regulatory staff. Although there is not an official count of layoffs, approximately 75,000 federal employees took buyouts, and an estimated total of 100,000 federal employees have been laid off (including buyouts).
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) saw layoffs, including probationary employees, which disrupted housing and infrastructure programs, making it harder for vulnerable communities to access affordable housing.
At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), its ability to monitor air and water quality, enforce environmental laws, and track industrial pollution has been weakened with a third round of cuts to grants, and with likely impending workforce cuts.
NOAA faced significant layoffs, with 800 probationary employees dismissed, and the National Weather Service (NWS) saw staffing reductions too, which will hamper their ability to monitor weather hazards.
The National Park Service (NPS), which oversees environmental education and conservation efforts, also received cuts to its workforce, including the loss of park rangers and managers.
March 2025 – Continued Cuts: At the first Cabinet meeting on February 27, it was acknowledged that thousands of probationary employees had already been fired, and the administration began to turn its attention to longer-term employees for further cuts. By March 13, agencies were directed to submit plans for reductions in force – not only laying off employees, but eliminating positions altogether. By April 14, agencies must outline how they intend to consolidate management positions.
Overall, cuts have been wide-ranging across federal government. According to one tracker, many employees have been fired (figures are estimated, with percentages of the cuts to each agency’s workforce included):
- HUD Community Planning and Development: 780 employees fired (83.3%).
- Agency for International Development: 2,000 employees fired (20%).
- Social Security Administration: 7,000 employees fired (12.3%).
- Department of Energy: 1,800 employees fired (10.6%).
- Forest Service: 3,400 employees fired (9.7%).
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 800 employees fired (6.4%).
- Internal Revenue Service: 6,000 employees fired (6.3%).
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: 100 employees fired (5.9%).
- National Park Service: 1,000 employees fired (4.8%).
- Department of Education: 2,100 employees fired (52.5%).
- Federal Aviation Administration: 400 employees fired (0.9%).
- General Services Administration: 100 employees fired (0.9%).
- Department of Defense: 5,400 employees fired (0.8%).
- Veterans Affairs: 2,400 employees fired (0.5%).
- Transportation Security Administration: 243 employees fired (0.4%).
In late March, further cuts were announced, including 10,000 employees in varying mixtures from the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 1,200 at the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, over 1,000 scientists and other employees at the EPA are expected to have their positions terminated, and 65% of the EPA’s budget is expected to be slashed.
According to one Project 2025 tracker—which serves as a guidebook for these cuts—there are efforts that have yet to be made that pose further risks to climate change and energy justice efforts. These include:
- Eliminate considerations of upstream and downstream greenhouse gas emissions.
- Eliminate carbon capture utilization and storage programs.
- Expand natural gas infrastructure.
- Eliminate the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
- Eliminate the Office of State and Community Energy Programs.
- Eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency.
- Eliminate the Office of Grid Deployment.
- Eliminate the DOE Loan Program.
- Eliminate the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy or reduce its funding.
- Reinstate Trump’s limitations on the Endangered Species Act’s definition of “critical habitat.”
- Delist the grizzly bear and gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.
- Approve the Rambler Road Project (proposal for a 211-mile industrial access road and is intended to facilitate the development of at least four large-scale mines).
- Reinstate Trump’s Migratory Bird Treaty Act (companies will not be punished for killing migratory birds).
- End “federal mandate” and subsidies of electric vehicles.
- Repeal the Global Change Research Act of 1990.
- Eliminate the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance (EPA).
- Eliminate the Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education (EPA).
- Eliminate the Office of Children’s Health Protection (EPA).
- Roll back goal of haze reduction (visible air pollution).
Threats to Climate Change Efforts and Environmental Justice
The dismantling of agencies through workforce cuts and cuts to funding and grants dedicated to climate research and environmental protection presents a severe threat to the fight against climate change and the promotion of environmental and energy justice.
These cuts have coincided with other dramatic shifts in climate change, energy, and environmental policy from the Trump administration compared to the Biden administration, such as withdrawing from the Paris Agreement (again), agency leadership changes that undermine climate science and research, “drill baby, drill” and the expansion of fossil fuel extraction and production facilities, and the suppression of climate science references and reports across government websites (not the first time).
Key impacts of layoffs to climate change efforts and environmental justice include:
- Diminished climate research and monitoring: The termination of employees from NOAA and elsewhere has disrupted climate research and monitoring capabilities. These cuts hamper the collection and analysis of critical climate data and subsequently impedes the development of effective climate policies and responses.
- Weakened regulatory enforcement: Nearly 200 employees at the EPA from the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights were placed on administrative leave, which significantly reduced the agency’s capacity to enforce environmental regulations aimed at mitigating climate change. This also diminishes the office’s ability to hold polluters accountable and to implement climate-related initiatives.
- Erosion of environmental justice programs: Elimination of key environmental justice programs, such as the Justice40 initiative, raises key concerns about increased pollution exposure for disadvantaged, vulnerable, and low-income communities. This could exacerbate existing environmental health disparities.
Overall, the recent federal workforce cuts and layoffs pose and will continue to pose significant threats to both climate action and environmental and energy justice—even if they are reinstated by court order. The cuts and turbulence to the workforce undermine critical research, weaken regulatory enforcement and oversight, and erode programs designed to protect vulnerable communities and species from environmental harm.