The Federal Government Is Bloated – Will DOGE’s Layoffs Even Make A Dent?

President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have placed a target on the U.S. federal workforce. Mass layoffs followed by court orders that employees must be reinstated has caused whiplash for federal workers and their families in the first few months of the second Trump administration. The President has claimed the government is too bloated and that reducing the number of employees will help balance the federal budget. But will cutting back on payroll actually make a difference in the U.S.'s over $1.8 trillion deficit? Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 2:46 — Mass federal layoffs 4:57 — Federal budget 9:24 — Smaller government 11:02 — What's next? Produced by: Merritt Enright Edited by: Matthew Soto Animation: Jason Reginato, Mithra Krishnan Senior Director of Video: Jeniece Pettitt Senior Managing Producer: Shawn Baldwin Additional Footage: Getty Images, C-SPAN