Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Workforce Optimization Initiative
The order imposes a 1-to-4 federal hiring ratio — agencies may fill only one vacancy for every four employees who leave — directs all agency heads to begin preparing large-scale workforce reductions immediately, and requires elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and other non-statutorily mandated functions.
It embeds DOGE Team Leads into agency hiring decisions and sets deadlines for new suitability rules and agency reorganization reports, marking a sweeping restructuring of the federal civilian workforce under the DOGE initiative.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs every federal agency to observe a 1:4 hiring ratio — one new career hire for every four employees who depart — and to immediately begin preparing large-scale reductions in force (RIFs). It requires agency heads to prioritize eliminating offices not mandated by statute, including all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and any initiatives the administration has suspended or closed. DOGE Team Leads embedded at each agency must be consulted before any new career appointment is made, and can flag vacancies that should go unfilled unless the agency head overrules them; they must also send monthly hiring reports to the U.S. DOGE Service Administrator.
The 1:4 ratio and RIF directives do not apply to public safety, immigration enforcement, or law enforcement functions, and agency heads may exempt positions for national security or homeland security needs. Military personnel are fully excluded. The order does not itself carry out any RIF — it directs agencies to prepare for them and sets up the rulemaking and reporting processes that govern what follows.
Who it affects
Federal civilian employees across all executive-branch agencies, especially those in non-statutory offices, DEI programs, and roles not deemed essential during government shutdowns. Job-seekers competing for federal positions face sharply reduced hiring. Agencies providing services to the public may operate with smaller workforces as attrition takes effect.
Why it matters
The hiring ratio and RIF preparations will shrink the federal civilian workforce over time through both attrition and layoffs, reducing the capacity of agencies that deliver services to the public. Employees in DEI offices and suspended programs face the most immediate job loss risk.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
Agency heads must immediately begin RIF preparations and develop data-driven hiring plans in consultation with their embedded DOGE Team Lead. The DOGE Team Lead can block vacancies from being filled unless the agency head overrides; monthly hiring data flows up to the USDS Administrator. OMB will issue the broader workforce-reduction plan under the January 20 hiring freeze memo. OPM launches a rulemaking within 30 days to tighten suitability standards. Agency heads file reorganization reports with OMB within 30 days. The USDS Administrator reports implementation results to the President within 240 days, with a recommendation on whether provisions should continue, be modified, or end.
Actions and deadlines
- OMB Director submits a workforce-reduction plan implementing the 1-to-4 hiring ratio and attrition targets
- Each Agency Head develops a data-driven hiring plan in consultation with its DOGE Team Lead
- Agency Heads promptly begin preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force and separate temporary employees and reemployed annuitants in affected areas
- DOGE Team Leads provide the USDS Administrator with a monthly hiring report for their agency
- OPM Director initiates rulemaking to add suitability criteria to 5 C.F.R. 731.202(b), including tax compliance, citizenship, nondisclosure, and resource-theft standards
- Agency Heads submit to OMB a report identifying statutorily required entities and whether any agency components should be eliminated or consolidated
- USDS Administrator submits an implementation report to the President with recommendations on extending, modifying, or terminating order provisions