President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has confirmed an additional $25B in federal spending cuts, marking a 22.4% decline in non-defense obligations since 2024. This reduction, which includes a 1.9% monthly decrease, aligns with the agency’s mission to eliminate wasteful spending as outlined in the DOGE Cost Efficiency Executive Order. The cuts have sparked a wave of rehiring efforts across several agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the State Department.
HHS, which recently began rehiring over 450 previously laid-off employees, is among the first to reverse some of these cuts. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has openly admitted that some personnel cuts were premature, indicating that the agency’s strategy may have been overly aggressive. The rehired CDC employees came from the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director, and the Global Health Center, according to an HHS official familiar with the matter.
Other agencies such as the IRS and FDA are also beginning to reverse cuts, as the Trump administration continues to implement its spending reduction strategy. However, the process has not been without obstacles; a recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in the Southern District of New York restricted DOGE’s access to federal databases, limiting the agency’s ability to conduct fraud investigations. The administration had previously argued that DOGE required access to Social Security information to root out waste and fraud, but the ruling has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the agency’s operations.
Despite these challenges, the administration remains committed to its spending cut goals, with additional measures set to be announced. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are also reportedly in the process of rehiring staff. The Trump administration has consistently emphasized the importance of efficiency and fiscal responsibility, framing these cuts as necessary to ensure the federal government operates within its budgetary constraints. However, critics argue that the reduction in staff could have long-term implications for the efficiency and effectiveness of these agencies, especially in critical areas such as public health and regulatory oversight.