The US government continues to cut staff.

Loss of income

The administration of US President Donald Trump began its second month of work with one of its continuing focuses being the policy of streamlining the apparatus.

On February 20, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that it had laid off 6,700 trainees. CNN quoted an IRS employee as saying that the move would affect both workers and Americans waiting for tax refunds, as the agency is short of staff during the peak tax filing season. "The layoffs were not handled carefully and those affected do not know where their next paycheck will come from," the IRS employee said.

Can Americans Get a 20% Share of the DOGE They Save?

The IRS has been in Republicans’ crosshairs since 2022, when the Democratic-led Congress passed an $80 billion budget for the agency. Since then, Republicans have tried to freeze the budget and cut staff at the IRS. The latest layoffs reportedly include about 4,500 auditors hired by the IRS over the past two years, according to The Hill.

Billionaire Elon Musk holds a chainsaw at a conservative event on February 20.

The Trump administration has recently targeted government interns, who are essentially on probation and vulnerable to termination. In addition to the tax agency, more than 50,000 interns in the US Department of Defense could be laid off starting February 21, while the Pentagon is desperate for personnel for specialized roles such as intelligence and cybersecurity. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently proposed cutting the US military budget by 8% each year, equivalent to about $50 billion.

The Trump administration’s streamlining policy received another “boost” on February 20, when a US judge dismissed a lawsuit from state employee unions - demanding to stop a large-scale personnel reduction plan. Meanwhile, the White House owner requested an inspection of the famous gold depository Fort Knox in the US, and at the same time issued an executive order deciding to dissolve a number of departments in government agencies.

President Trump fires all Biden-era prosecutors, more good news from the court

Elon Musk's mark

Besides President Trump, the prominent name associated with the recent series of actions to cut US government spending is billionaire Elon Musk. Appearing at an event for conservatives on February 20, Mr. Musk held up a chainsaw given to him by Argentine President Javier Milei, shouting: "This is a chainsaw for the bureaucracy." Observers say the above image highlights the current situation in the US, when the billionaire is considered Mr. Trump's right-hand man in the effort to streamline the federal government.

However, the public remains confused about Elon Musk’s true role and influence. The White House said on February 17 that Musk was acting as an advisor to Trump, not a leader or even an employee of the U.S. Government Efficiency Commission (DOGE), which has been implementing a series of streamlining moves. DOGE announced that the cuts had saved $55 billion, although this figure has not been specifically verified.

Observers say that not giving Mr. Musk the leadership position of DOGE could be a solution to avoid legal troubles regarding the American billionaire's authority. Meanwhile, Mr. Musk's "recommendations" in his advisory role are understood to have a significant impact on DOGE's final decision. Barron's newspaper on February 18 quoted Mr. Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, director of government affairs at the Project on Government Oversight, a non-partisan organization in the US, saying: "It is clear that Mr. Elon Musk is in charge of all decisions and operations. Any statement to the contrary is ridiculous."

Trump's approval rating drops after 1 month

A Reuters/Ipsos poll of more than 4,100 people released on February 19 showed that President Donald Trump's approval rating after nearly a month in office was 44%, down from 47% on his first day back in the White House. Meanwhile, the number of people who disapproved of Trump was 51%, compared to 41% a month ago. Support for his immigration policy remained stable, while the number of people who said the US economy was on the wrong track rose to 53%, compared to 43% in the January survey.

Another CNN/SSRS poll of more than 1,200 people released on February 20 showed that 47% of people approved of the current US President and 52% disapproved. One of the reasons for the dissatisfaction of the surveyed people was the decisions to streamline the government apparatus, cut personnel and freeze the large-scale budget.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chinh-phu-my-khong-ngung-cat-giam-nhan-su-185250221231052758.htm