Some of the most dramatic federal government reorganization efforts in recent history began under the second Trump administration this year. From the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) modernization initiatives to mass federal employee layoffs, MeriTalk rounded up some of the biggest changes.
DOGE
Launched on the first day of his administration, President Donald Trump created DOGE to modernize federal technology and improve efficiency and productivity across the federal government while cutting costs. DOGE was led in part by billionaire Elon Musk, who served as a short-term White House special advisor. Musk left in May and was largely the public face of the new agency.
While claiming billions in savings this year – though the exact number has been widely questioned – DOGE oversaw contract and spending cuts it said were redundant, rooted out fraud and improper payments, and cancelled grants.
DOGE also cut some key technology offices – such as the General Services Administration’s (GSA) 18F technology group, which was created to help federal agencies improve their digital services. A whistleblower report found that DOGE overhauled the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) IT systems.
Despite multiple audit attempts by Democrats, answers remain unclear on DOGE’s exact activities within the federal government, though one thing is certain: DOGE wanted agency data.
DOGE is set to sunset next summer; however, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor said the agency is no longer a centralized entity because many of DOGE’s functions have been absorbed by OPM. The spirit of DOGE remains alive and well under Kupor and the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) oversight, the official added.
The federal workforce
For federal workers, 2025 was largely grim. OPM reported that the Trump administration exceeded its target for federal worker cuts outlined in executive orders that called for the elimination of nonessential and redundant positions across agencies. The most recent number of federal employee departures is nearly 317,000.
Following Trump’s directions for agencies to conduct reductions in force – or layoffs – probationary federal workers and those working under programs such as the White House Fellows were some of the first to go. Other employees whose positions were likely to be cut were offered the deferred resignation program, which allowed workers to resign but be paid through Sept. 30. Around 75,000 employees took the deferred resignation offer, OPM said.
Multiple court orders directed some of those RIFs to be rescinded, such as those conducted during the recent 43-day government shutdown. But the Supreme Court temporarily greenlighted most RIFs earlier this year – though the legality of the RIFs still remains a question.
Federal unions also took a hit this spring when Trump signed an order to end collective bargaining with unions – including all cabinet-level agency chief information officers (CIOs) and many workers within large agencies and component organizations. However, that order has been challenged in court with mixed results.
Thousands of federal workers also underwent policy or career classification. Trump signed an executive order to reinstate his Schedule F classification for federal agency employees in policy-making positions to make it easier for the administration to replace them by removing civil service protections. He also created Schedule G to allow non-career employees to be hired and fired at will if they serve in a “policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating” role.
The Trump administration ordered agencies to reclassify federal chief information officers from “career reserved” to general SES positions, arguing that modern tech chiefs are policy-making officials whose roles should be open to political appointees.
And there are more changes to come: federal agencies were recently directed to stand up Trump administration–led “strategic hiring committees” to centralize control over civilian hiring decisions, aligning workforce levels and vacancies with White House priorities.
Meanwhile, OPM is working to identify potential cuts to agency senior executive rosters in coordination with annual staffing plans.
Agency changes
In addition to 18F, other department and agency IT and cybersecurity staff and programs were cut this year. Notably, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) election security office was eliminated after the Trump administration officials claimed that the office’s operations targeted Trump by helping to conspire “against the First Amendment rights of President Trump and his supporters” during the 2020 presidential election.
IT staff across the Department of Health and Human Services were also cut, including CIOs at key HHS components and its Office of Digital Transformation. Other staff overseeing cybersecurity contractors, such as those at the Computer Security Incident Response Center, were also eliminated.
Changes to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) came as GSA slashed nearly half of its Technology Transformation Services organization. Though sources told MeriTalk most of those cuts came through the contractor side of FedRAMP.
As of September, FedRAMP’s workforce had dropped to 28 employees after losing over 50 employees in fiscal year (FY) 2025.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said it is restructuring to consolidate missions and eliminate or fold several offices – citing concerns about partisan bias and duplication – while redirecting intelligence resources to better align with Trump’s priorities.