April 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of the Interior will offer employees new opportunities to leave the agency as part of a plan to improve efficiency, it said in a statement on Thursday.
Interior will offer a deferred resignation program and voluntary early retirement, it said, without giving details on the number of employees or parts of the agency that would be targeted.
Agency officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The move is aligned with President Donald Trump’s broader effort to shrink the size of the federal government.
As part of the plan, the agency will move more National Park Service positions to visitor-facing roles and modernize processes including permitting, it said.
“By modernizing our operations we’re strengthening our ability to carry out Interior’s mission and deliver world-class service for the American people,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in the statement.
The Interior Department manages about a fifth of the land in the United States. It is responsible for energy and mineral development on public lands and waters, tribal relations and preservation of the nation’s cultural heritage.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Chris Reese)
