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By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -White House officials are reviewing federal agencies' downsizing plans, a move expected to result in the mass firing of thousands of government workers within the coming weeks, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
President Donald Trump had given the agencies until March 13 to draw up plans for a second wave of mass layoffs as part of his rapid-fire effort to reshape and reduce the size of the federal government, which he has called bloated and inefficient.
All U.S. government agencies have submitted their plans, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
No deadline has been set for completing the review. One of the two sources said the White House would like to see the entire process wrapped up by the end of September.
"We're going to take our time," the source said.
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire whose Department of Government Efficiency is the driving force behind Trump's downsizing effort, is "being kept abreast" of significant details of the review but is not "combing through every document," the second source said.
Trump is not involved with the review, which is being led by DOGE, the White House's Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human resources arm, that source said.
"Some of the plans will be sent back because they'll need more work and details," the source said. "Once they are approved, the agencies will go back and handle their RIFs (reduction in force plans)."
The White House and OPM declined comment. OMB and DOGE did not respond to a request for comment.
So far, DOGE has overseen cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce. Its sweeping efforts have become mired in dozens of lawsuits challenging the firing of thousands of probationary workers, the abrupt shuttering of several federal agencies and access to sensitive computer systems given to DOGE staffers.
Labor unions, opposition Democrats and governance experts say Musk's blunt approach has caused chaos, leading to the firing and then rehiring of workers, while failing to show that his cost-cutting effort is producing significant cost savings.Critics say it is a cover for Trump to dismantle agencies and programs long distrusted by the Republican Party.
Recent plans for workforce cuts by agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education and the General Services Administration were not final and all three agencies have submitted fresh plans, the sources said.
The Department of Education had previously announced plans to halve its workforce, and Veterans Affairs said it will fire 80,000 workers.
"Many of the agencies will need to submit a monthly progress report on how they are proceeding with their plans," the second source said, without sharing details.
The full scope of the potential upcoming cuts was not clear, but the second source provided some initial details.
NASA, for instance, has indicated it will cut jobs in its diversity, equity and inclusion program and its Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, the source said. At the Food and Drug Administration, the second round of cuts will focus on staff working in record management and laboratory safety among others, the source said.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington, additional reporting by Alexandra AlperEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Diane Craft)
