US auto safety agency shedding more than 25% of employees

News | July 17, 2025
Crash test dummy is displayed at the New York Auto Show in New York

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. auto safety agency is shedding more than 25% of its employees under financial incentive programs to depart the government offered by the Trump administration, according to data provided to Congress seen by Reuters.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the Transportation Department, is shrinking from 772 employees as of May 31 to 555 under the program. The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Agency are also both losing more than 25% of their staff.

Representative Rick Larsen, top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, expressed concerns about the cuts, questioning how USDOT can “expedite project delivery and advance safety with a decimated workforce.”

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )