Court filing reveals which offices at 17 agencies the Trump administration had slated for layoffs

The Trump administration revealed to a federal court on Thursday the specific offices at which widespread layoffs were planned as of earlier this year, providing rare insight into the scale of its proposed reductions in force. 

Some of the list details RIFs that have already been announced, such as those at the Health and Human Services Department or the General Services Administration. Most, however, have not been previously reported and offer new details on the administration’s plans. The filing contains requests for approval sent to the Office of Personnel Management in March and April. Administration officials have made clear some of those plans are no longer operative, particularly as agencies have successfully shed staff through various incentive programs. 

Agencies made the requests to OPM to allow for hastened layoffs after adjusting their “competitive areas,” the groupings of employees agencies must create before engaging in RIFs. In most cases, OPM signed off on the requests within one or two days. 

The Agriculture Department sought approval for layoffs at a slew of offices, but revealed on Thursday it will restructure itself through mandatory and voluntary relocations and only deploy RIFs if necessary. HHS and the State Department have moved forward with their RIFs, and their requests to OPM show only a portion of the layoffs they ultimately implemented. 

The administration revealed the requests to the U.S. Court for the Northern District of California after Judge Susan Illston ordered their disclosure. Illston previously blocked the administration from moving forward with RIFs at all, but that injunction was overturned by the Supreme Court. The judge is now seeking to verify the legality of RIF plans on an agency-by-agency basis and sought information from 17 agencies the administration had told the Supreme Court were set to begin layoffs when Illston’s injunction took effect. 

The Trump administration said the list in some cases undercounted the number of offices developing RIF plans and in others overcounted and has consistently maintained its plans were moving targets. An appeals court this week blocked another order from Illston requiring the administration to disclose to the court reorganization and RIF plans at every major agency, though those were not yet set to be made public. 

Here is a list of which agencies and offices were planning widespread layoffs earlier this year:

Agriculture Department

• Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area — Business Center Customer Experience Division
• Food Nutrition and Consumer Service — Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
• Food Safety and Inspection Service
• Foreign Agricultural Service
• Forest Service — Pacific Southwest Research Station
• Forest Service Headquarters
• Forest Service Region 9
• Natural Resources Conservation Service — Climate Division
• Natural Resources Conservation Service — Gulf Coast Restoration Office
• Natural Resources Conservation Service — Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovation
• Office of Contracting and Procurement (Director and Procurement System; Procurement Operations)
• Office of Employee Experience and Development
• Office of Executive Secretariat
• Office of Homeland Security
• Office of Human Resources Management (Director and Policy; Employee Experience; Employee Relations/Labor Relations; Executive Resources Management; HR Enterprise Systems Management; HR Operations; Talent Management
• Office of Operations
• Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement
• Office of Property and Environmental Management
• Office of Safety, Security and Protection
• Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

Commerce Department

• Agency-wide 

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

• Agency-wide (x2)

General Services Administration 

• Federal Acquisition Service 
• Office of the Administrator (x3)
• Office of Travel, Employee Relocation and Transportation
• Public Buildings Service
• Technology Transformation Services (x2) 

Health and Human Services Department

• Agency-wide (x2)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Office of the Secretary 

Housing and Urban Development Department

• Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
• Office of the Chief Information Officer
• Office of Departmental Employment and Equal Opportunity
• Office of Departmental Management
• Office of the General Counsel
• Office of Lead Hazard and Healthy Homes
• Office of Public and Indian Housing

Institute of Museum and Library Services

• Agency-wide

Interior Department

• Bureau of Land Management National Training Center
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
• Communications Offices 
• National Park Service’s Commemoration and Community Engagement

Labor Department

• Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs 

National Archives and Records Administration

• Agency-wide

National Endowment for Humanities

• Agency-wide 

State Department

• Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub 

Transportation Department 

• Federal Highway Administration
• Federal Motor Carrier Administration
• Federal Railroad Administration
• Federal Transit Administration
• Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
• Maritime Administration
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Office of the Secretary
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration

Treasury Department

• Agency-wide 
• IRS — Communications and Liaison
• IRS — Independent Office of Appeals
• IRS — Privacy, Government Liaison and Disclosure 
• IRS — Taxpayer Advocate Service 

U.S. African Development Foundation

• Finance and Administration Division
• Information Technology Unit
• Office of Internal Audits
• Office of the President
• Program Division
• Program Region Branch 1

U.S. Agency for Global Media 

• Agency-wide (x2)  

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

• Agency-wide

Sean Michael Newhouse contributed to this report.