Homeland Security Seeks Employee Departures To Trim Payroll

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to make voluntary cuts to its workforce, according to an email sent to staff on Monday evening. A message from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem lists at least three options, all of them voluntary: A workforce transition program, a deferred resignation program, and a buyout option, reports Scripps News. The voluntary reductions appear to apply to all DHS agencies, which include Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "As a general rule, law enforcement officials will be exempt from participation in these programs due to their essential mission-critical responsibilities," Noem said.

A Secret Service source said the email does not make clear if support staff who work with Secret Service agents in various roles have the same designation and protection as law enforcement. Some in that agency believe a mandatory reduction in force program may soon follow the voluntary options. The news comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to issue critical rulings that may determine the fate of the Department of Government Efficiency and the future of President Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government. Among the key issues are recently terminated diversity, equity, and inclusion grants within the Department of Education, as well as the legality of layoffs affecting thousands of probationary employees across six government agencies. The central question remains: Did the administration have the legal authority to implement these decisions?