White House Tells FDA and Other Agencies to Prepare for Staff Cuts as Hiring Freeze Ends

The Trump administration’s federal hiring freeze officially ended yesterday — but OMB Director Mick Mulvaney has warned the FDA and other federal agencies to prepare for deeper, long-term staff cuts.

OMB issued guidance calling on agencies to analyze their total personnel costs as well as numbers of employees.

The guidance also calls on FDA and other agencies to take “immediate actions” to achieve short-term workforce reductions and cost cuts, with the White House’s 2018 budget proposal as a template. The agencies are also to develop plans to maximize employee performance by the end of June.

Agency heads must submit proposed reform plans to OMB this fall. OMB will use these plans, in combination with its own crosscutting proposals and public comments, to develop a reform plan for the entire federal government.