Cleared to Lay Off Workers, Some Federal Agencies Find Many Already Left

Thousands of workers in government jobs have taken buyouts or retired early. Many say morale is low.

WASHINGTON—Nearly six months into President Trump’s second term, voluntary departures from the government have thinned the ranks so much that some agencies are saying more cuts aren’t necessary after all.

The State Department says it is laying off more than 1,300 employees.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Labor Department say retirements and volunteer attrition have helped the agencies meet the administration’s desired efficiencies and reductions. And Trump’s pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said he plans to actually add staff to the National Weather Service after previous cuts.

Tens of thousands of federal workers took a buyout deal that offered pay through Sept. 30 to employees who left their positions. Many signed up as the threat of layoffs loomed, policy priorities changed and agencies enacted in-office work requirements. Others have retired early or have been pushed out through layoffs targeting probationary employees, amounting to potentially hundreds of thousands of departures overall this year, said Max Stier, chief executive of the better-government group Partnership for Public Service.

The Supreme Court earlier this week lifted a court order that had halted the administration’s plans for large-scale reductions in the federal workforce. At the State Department, the sprawling agency announced Friday that it would lay off more than 1,300 employees as part of an effort to modernize the agency after the Supreme Court move. It isn’t clear how many agencies will follow State’s lead.

Unions said the layoffs have been poorly designed and rash in nature, and urged agencies to consider the impact of the voluntary departures before deciding to move ahead with plans for layoffs.

“There should not be a rush to implement these extreme plans that were created by Elon Musk before there has been time to review and evaluate the consequences,” said Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, referring to the Tesla and SpaceX leader who led the Department of Government Efficiency.

The Trump administration has criticized government bureaucracy, saying staff aren’t accountable and pledging to streamline operations. Layoffs of so-called probationary workers—typically with less than a year or two in their current roles—were soon followed by Trump’s order in February that sought to reduce the federal workforce by “eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity.”

The order directed agencies to work with DOGE to develop the layoffs—called a reduction-in-force, or RIF. It was blocked in May by a federal judge in San Francisco. The Supreme Court this week said its decision was based on the legality of Trump’s executive order and didn’t rule on whether any reorganization plans broke the law. The order affected roughly 20 federal agencies, including the Commerce, Labor and Veterans Affairs departments.

The VA said Monday, before the court’s ruling, that layoffs wouldn’t be necessary because roughly 30,000 employees will depart the agency by the end of the fiscal year. These cuts came from voluntary early retirement, attrition and the resignation program.

“A department-wide RIF is off the table, but that doesn’t mean we’re done improving VA,” Secretary Doug Collins said.

A Labor Department spokesperson said voluntary attrition reduced the workforce by 20%, “achieving our goal to promote efficiency and eliminate redundancies, while retaining critical positions.”

Within the Commerce Department, NOAA has outlined plans to reduce its current workforce of more than 12,000 full-time employees to about 10,000 staffers and reassigned workers because of the loss of employees at the Weather Service.

It couldn’t be determined how many employees had left. But Trump’s pick to lead NOAA, Neil Jacobs, told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that staffing the Weather Service offices would be a priority if he is confirmed—an issue elevated by deadly flash floods in Texas.

“I can appeal to their sense of mission,” Jacobs said.

Driving voluntary attrition, longtime federal workers say, is that morale is low and frustration remains high. Partly to blame is new scrutiny on day-to-day government work.

DOGE required staff to detail what they were working on by email. When staff came back into the office, their bosses reminded them of the basics of office etiquette. No detail was too small.

“Do not linger in the restroom. Buildings may be at maximum capacity and lines may form at facilities,” read General Services Administration guidance viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The National Institutes of Health’s memo to staff on returning to work noted, “Small tasks, such as making your lunch at home, packing your work bag the night before and planning when to take breaks can help your workday run more smoothly.”

Michael Schimmenti, 57, didn’t take the Trump administration’s first offer to resign, but a few months later decided to take its second offer because he expected to be laid off if the agency moved its headquarters.

Schimmenti, who directed HUD’s facilities management division, has no regrets. “I genuinely feel for the people who didn’t or couldn’t take this,” he said.

Write to Lindsay Ellis at lindsay.ellis@wsj.com and Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com