The Trump administration has pursued a multifaceted approach to defunding and downsizing the administrative state, focusing on reducing the scope and influence of federal agencies based in Washington, D.C., but with operations extending globally. One significant strategy has been budget cuts and funding reallocations targeting agencies perceived as bloated or misaligned with the administration’s priorities. For instance, departments like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State Department have faced substantial budget reductions, with proposed cuts in the range of 20-30% for certain programs, as reported in budget documents from 2025. These cuts aim to limit regulatory activities and international engagements, such as climate initiatives and foreign aid programs, which the administration argues are inefficient or overly expansive. By slashing funding, the administration seeks to curb the global reach of these agencies, redirecting resources toward domestic priorities like border security and infrastructure.

Another key tactic has been workforce reduction and restructuring within the federal bureaucracy. The administration has implemented hiring freezes, encouraged early retirements, and relocated agency offices away from Washington, D.C., to discourage career bureaucrats from remaining in their roles. For example, the relocation of Bureau of Land Management and USDA offices to western states has led to significant staff attrition, with reports indicating up to 80% of some agency employees opting not to relocate. Additionally, the reinstatement of policies like Schedule F, which reclassifies certain federal employees to make them easier to fire, has been used to streamline or replace personnel viewed as resistant to the administration’s agenda. This approach not only shrinks the administrative state’s footprint but also disrupts its ability to maintain consistent global operations, particularly in areas like international trade enforcement and diplomatic staffing.

The administration has also leveraged regulatory reform to dismantle the administrative state’s influence, both domestically and abroad. Through executive orders and the appointment of agency heads skeptical of bureaucratic overreach, the Trump administration has prioritized deregulation, rolling back rules on environmental standards, labor protections, and international compliance frameworks. For instance, the withdrawal from multilateral agreements and the renegotiation of trade deals have reduced the need for large D.C.-based staffs to oversee global regulatory alignment. Posts on X and web analyses from 2025 highlight a 40% reduction in new federal regulations compared to the prior administration, signaling a deliberate effort to limit the administrative state’s role in shaping global policy. These combined efforts—budget cuts, workforce reduction, and deregulation—reflect a concerted strategy to downsize the federal bureaucracy’s reach, focusing its operations inward while challenging its historical role as a global administrative hub.