Mass Layoffs Hit U.S. Interior Department Amid Government Job Cuts

The Trump administration has laid off 2,300 employees from the U.S. Interior Department. The department oversees 500 million acres of public land and manages oil and gas leasing programs, contributing significantly to U.S. oil production. The Bureau of Land Management is among the affected agencies.

The U.S. Interior Department has seen 2,300 employees laid off as part of the Trump administration's overarching strategy of government job cuts. According to sources, the agency, which oversees 500 million acres of U.S. public lands including national parks, is undergoing significant changes.

Around 800 of those let go hail from the Bureau of Land Management, an agency responsible for a vast scope of activities, from oil and gas development to timber harvesting and cultural preservation. The insiders shared this information under condition of anonymity.

While the Interior Department has yet to comment, President Donald Trump aims to boost already record-high U.S. oil and gas production. Known entrepreneur Elon Musk has been tasked with reducing government spending and cutting bureaucratic red tape, prompting mass personnel reductions.

(With inputs from agencies.)