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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he feels “very badly” for thousands of federal employees who have recently lost their jobs but defended the sweeping cuts, arguing that “many of them don’t work at all.”
The president made the remarks when asked by NBC News whether he felt responsible for the mass layoffs that have resulted from his administration’s push to streamline the federal workforce.
“Sure I do. I feel very badly,” Trump said. “But many of them don’t work at all. Many of them never showed up to work.”
Speaking from the Oval Office alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump justified the firings as necessary to eliminate waste and inefficiency in government.
“When we cut, we want to cut, but we want to cut the people that aren’t working or … not doing a good job,” he said. “We’re keeping the best people.”
The job cuts have been spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative aimed at slashing government spending by reducing what Trump has called “billions of dollars of fat and waste and fraud and abuse.”
Drastic Cuts Across Federal Agencies
One of the hardest-hit agencies is the Department of Education, where Secretary Linda McMahon has overseen a workforce reduction of nearly 50%. Trump praised her handling of the layoffs, calling her a “real professional” and “very sophisticated business person” who has “kept the best people.”
“We have a dream,” Trump added. “And you know what the dream is? We’re going to move the Department of Education, we’re going to move education into the states, so that the states, instead of bureaucrats working in Washington, can run education.”
Other federal agencies have also seen significant downsizing. The Department of Health and Human Services recently offered voluntary buyouts to all employees, while job cuts and contract cancellations have impacted the Department of Veterans Affairs.
DOGE chief Elon Musk, Trump’s wealthiest campaign donor, has defended the move, stating that the efficiency-focused department is now working in “pretty much every federal department” and plans to double its size.
Backlash Over Job Cuts and Musk’s Expanding Role
The layoffs have triggered widespread criticism from labor unions, Democrats, and even some federal employees who argue the cuts are reckless and disruptive.
White House adviser Alina Habba sparked additional outrage last week when she dismissed concerns over the firings.
“I really don’t feel sorry for them,” Habba said of laid-off federal workers. “They should get back to work for the American people, like President Trump and this administration.”
Her comments were especially controversial regarding military veterans affected by the DOGE-led layoffs. “They may not be fit to have a job at this moment,” she added, drawing sharp criticism from veterans’ groups.
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As the Trump administration continues its aggressive downsizing of the federal workforce, the political fallout is only beginning. With Musk’s role in government expanding and entire departments facing restructuring, the debate over the impact of these job cuts is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
