President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government appear to be effective at the Department of Justice, with about 4,000 staffers taking advantage of the administration’s Fork-In-The-Road incentivized departure program.
CBS reported that although the program is now closed, the administration plans to eliminate about 1,500 positions in the FBI, with about half that number already vacant. Those numbers are contained in a DOJ budget summary obtained by the network.
Critics of the downsizing, including some former government employees, are concerned that the downsized department won’t be able to handle the workload and that safety will be compromised.
The group Justice Connection, established in January as the Trump administration’s downsizing efforts began, wants to help former Justice Department employees, or those who remain and feel their jobs are threatened.
The group website displays the comment: “This work relies on dedicated, nonpartisan civil servants. But now, they’re being demoted, suspended, pushed out, and outright fired by the Trump administration.”
Justice Connection Executive Director Stacey Young, an attorney who resigned from the DOJ, told CBS that the staffing cuts lessen the experience for the department.
“Expertise, institutional knowledge, and stability are keys — not impediments — to an efficient and effective government,” she said.
The budget summary outlined support for the staffing reductions by the new leadership in the Trump administration and indicated the FBI will be able to better handle its core missions, including “protecting the American people from violent crime.”
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