Beware the ides of March! Or in this case, any time within 48 hours of the Ides. 

Donald Trump won election twice by promising to "drain the swamp" in Washington DC. This time, he's ready to act:

Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by President Donald Trump ‘s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government.

The memo expands the Republican president’s effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has described as bloated and impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.

Agencies are directed to submit by March 13 their plans for what is known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate the position altogether. The result could be extensive changes in how government functions.

This emerged as Trump held a live-streamed Cabinet meeting, where Elon Musk briefed the agency heads on DOGE operations. Calling it "humble tech support," Musk praised the Cabinet and asked for its support in finding and executing on opportunities to cut costs. Musk noted -- correctly -- that debt service now exceeds defense spending in the annual budget and will only get more expensive if deficits continue to expand the national debt. Musk set a goal of $1 trillion from the budget, which he noted will only reduce spending by 15%. But at least it would be a start:

Elon Musk saying a few words at the Trump Cabinet Meeting. Says we can save a Trillion Dollars off the federal budget. Roughly 15% pic.twitter.com/QINkRJOnBA

— FL-Native (@FL_Native21) February 26, 2025

Musk also noted that this effort comes at no small personal risk to himself and his team, but that he's determined to accomplish the mission:

Elon Musk says he’s getting “a lot of flak” and death threats for his work with DOGE aimed at overhauling the federal government and making budget cuts, but insists, “If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt. That’s why it has to be done.” https://t.co/NQNBx0Q1xi pic.twitter.com/TAMPnOobdl

— ABC News (@ABC) February 26, 2025

The media -- yes, they were there and participating despite yesterday's democracy is over! hysteria -- asked about Musk's e-mail to federal employees. Trump intervened in Musk's answer to make clear that Trump pushed Musk to identify deadwood more aggressively and acts under his authority. Musk indicated that only about half of the federal bureaucracy has responded so far to his "pulse check," and that this may well inform the scope of the layoffs and position eliminations to come.

Furthermore, the memo may only document a process already underway. Trump told the media that Lee Zeldin may be looking at a 65% workforce reduction at EPA, which Trump took to task specifically over Joe Biden's Green New Deal slush funds. The EPA was funding a lot of orgs that had little to do with clean environments but plenty of dirty politics. Cut the slush funds, and you can cut the workforce that supports them.

The memo will raise the question of just how much authority Trump has to make these cuts, but so far Trump and his team have been prepared for challenges. They have robustly defended Trump's Article II authority and have ample precedent on his side. When trial courts rule against him, Trump and his team have escalated quickly; at least one such challenge has already reached the Supreme Court and more will follow. The best approach would be to have Congress eliminate these positions, but short of that, the president has the authority to order the executive branch to the extent that statutes don't dictate specific functions. And Congress long ago ceded its authority, filling enabling statutes with vague language and broad powers to the executives of agencies, all of whom derive their authority from the elected president. 

The public-employee unions will roar, their Democrat allies will demonstrate, and their attorneys will file a long string of lawsuits. That won't stop a day of reckoning for a Leviathan bureaucratic state that has been allowed to rule without accountability for far too long.