The White House says it is following through on Trump's campaign promise to cut wasteful spending and slim down a bureaucracy that many conservatives see as left-leaning and unresponsive to the president's agenda.
Democrats say the effort is illegal, as the U.S. Constitution gives Congress authority over spending matters.
"Everyone is stressed and frustrated. The mood is awful," said one worker at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Republican lawmakers, who control both chambers of Congress, have cheered the effort, and Democrats have been unable to stop it.