Agency heads are ordered to “coordinate and consult with DOGE to shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions,” the White House said in a summary of the order.
“Agency heads shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force, consistent with applicable law,” the order reads. It states that “all offices that perform functions not mandated by statute or other law” should be prioritized in the cuts.
Musk vows transparency, wants to ‘right-size’ workforce
Trump did not sign the order while reporters were present inside the Oval Office but did so after media members were escorted out, the White House confirmed.
“We’ve already found billions of dollars of abuse incompetence and corruption,” Trump said of DOGE’s efforts to find wasteful spending, which both Trump and Musk repeatedly called “fraud” during a more than 30-minute exchange with reporters.
