The Trump administration has reportedly ordered a 70 percent cut to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the agency which manages personnel for the federal bureaucracy. According to OPM, about 160 of its jobs are located in Virginia.
A Federal News Network report published Friday claimed that top members of the Trump administration directed OPM officials to draft plans to cut both programs and personnel by 70 percent, with the Washington, D.C. outlet citing multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting with Trump officials.
Administration officials put in place by President Donald Trump also reportedly directed the agency to cease working “on anything that is not statutorily required,” and directed top staff members to deliver briefs containing organizational charts and plans for an initial staff reduction of 30 percent, with the outlet stating that both contractors and employees were to be included in plans submitted to the White House on Monday.
The outlet reported the Trump administration’s plans left government workers at OPM “shocked,” and looking “like they have seen [a] ghost.”
OPM employs roughly 2,900 people, and according to the agency’s website, 159 of those jobs were located in Virginia as of March 2024. At that time, the average OPM worker from Virginia had worked at the federal agency for 14.5 years and was earning roughly $137,000 per year.
Should Trump’s efforts prove successful, the agency could be reduced to under 900 staff members in total.
Trump’s plan to drastically reduce the number of employees at OPM comes after his administration offered all federal employees, including those at OPM, a buyout package that would see them accept an early retirement.
A frequently asked questions page on the OPM website confirms that federal workers at the agency received the letter, which would allow those who accept the offer to keep their employee benefits and continue receiving their pay until September.
In total, about 144,000 Virginians work for the federal government, with the majority working for the U.S. Navy, Army, Department of Defense, or Department of Veterans Affairs.
At least one Virginia Democrat predicted that Trump’s plans to fire or relocate federal employees would hurt Republicans in the commonwealth politically, suggesting ahead of the January special elections that Democrats could increase their majority in the General Assembly as a result of the move. The outcome of the races ultimately did not lead to either party gaining more seats.
Both Governor Glenn Youngkin and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears have endorsed plans to reduce or relocate federal employees by the Department of Government Efficiency.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “President Donald Trump” by Dan Scavino.
