(Image Credit: IMAGN) Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump was expected to address Congress on his early achievements of his presidency and his upcoming legislative agenda. Mandatory Credit: Win McNamee-Pool via Imagn Images
President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed the recent wave of federal job cuts, stating that while he feels “very badly” for those affected, many of the employees who lost their jobs “don’t work at all.”
Speaking during an Oval Office meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump responded to a question from NBC News about whether he felt responsible for the thousands of civil servants who have been laid off in recent weeks.
“Sure I do. I feel very badly,” Trump said. “But many of them don’t work at all. Many of them never showed up to work.”
Trump defended his administration’s staffing reductions, emphasizing that efforts were being made to retain only the most effective employees. “When we cut, we want to cut, but we want to cut the people that aren’t working or … not doing a good job,” he told reporters. “We’re keeping the best people.”
One of the most significant reductions has taken place at the Department of Education, where Secretary Linda McMahon has overseen the agency’s workforce being cut in half. Trump praised McMahon as a “real professional” and a “sophisticated business person,” adding, “She cut a large number, but she kept the best people, and we’ll see how it all works out.”
Trump also reiterated his administration’s goal of shifting control of education from the federal government to individual states. “We have a dream. And you know what the dream is? We’re going to move the Department of Education, we’re going to move education into the states, so that the states, instead of bureaucrats working in Washington, so that the states can run education,” he said.
Beyond the Department of Education, significant layoffs and restructuring have taken place across multiple federal agencies. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services offered voluntary buyouts to all employees, while the Department of Veterans Affairs has also been affected by recent job cuts and contract cancellations.
The reductions are being spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by billionaire entrepreneur and White House advisor Elon Musk. Musk, Trump’s top campaign donor, stated earlier this week that DOGE is actively working in “pretty much every federal department” and intends to expand its reach.
The sweeping layoffs have sparked growing criticism, particularly as they affect employees across the country, not just in Washington, D.C. Some lawmakers and federal worker unions have voiced concerns that the cuts are being implemented too aggressively, disrupting essential government services.
White House adviser Alina Habba has drawn further backlash for her recent comments dismissing concerns over the layoffs. “I really don’t feel sorry for them,” Habba said last week. “They should get back to work for the American people, like President Trump and this administration.”
Habba also made controversial remarks regarding military veterans affected by the DOGE-led layoffs, stating that some may not be “fit to have a job at this moment.”
Despite the criticism, Trump continues to defend his administration’s approach, arguing that eliminating inefficiencies in government spending is necessary. “Billions of dollars of fat and waste and fraud and abuse is being taken out,” he said Wednesday.
As the layoffs continue, the long-term impact on federal agencies and their ability to function effectively remains uncertain.
