Trump to reduce federal government size, targeting seven agencies for elimination

US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order aimed at reducing the size of the federal government, directing the elimination of seven government entities “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”

The move is part of the administration’s ongoing effort to streamline the federal bureaucracy and cut costs, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

In the executive order, Trump identified seven agencies and entities to be dismantled, including the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the United States Agency for Global Media, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency.

The president also outlined a strict compliance procedure for the heads of these agencies, instructing them to submit a report to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within seven days. The report must confirm that they are fully complying with the executive order and provide details on which parts, if any, of the governmental entities are legally required by statute to remain operational.

With Musk, the world's richest man at his side, Trump signed an executive order on February 11 directing all agencies to "promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force," using a legal term commonly referred to as RIF to denote mass layoffs.

A subsequent memo from the US Office of Personnel Management said plans should include "a significant reduction" of full-time staff, cuts to real estate, a smaller budget, and the elimination of functions not mandated by law.

By Vafa Guliyeva