Are recent firings causing permit delays?

[JoeT]

I'm curious about whether you've noticed if the recent spate of bureaucratic firings have caused delays with issuing permits? It takes a while to obtain an environmental permit as it is, so I can't imagine that weeding out office staff is helpful.

 

[Eric]

We haven't had firings yet but have been under hiring freeze for almost 2 years for unrelated reasons. Lost about 1/3 staff during that time with no apparent effect on permitting efficiency (ironically we've actually improved in some areas). Enforcement is minimal/non-existent though.

The instincts of DOGE are good in the sense that restricting budgets can force agencies to prioritize workload better, but there does come a point where public services suffer. In general, probably best to run lean so agencies stay focused on the mission and don't have bandwidth for extraneous workflows. More money does not necessarily mean more production, in government or any big organization.

 

[ClaxtonRR]

Our office is state run, so we've been unaffected, thankfully. I don't think we'll experience a lag in permitting, though, because very few people were let go in comparison to how many people work for the government. Don't worry too much about the hiring freeze either. Those vacant jobs have probably gone unfilled for decades now, and yet the remaining people continued to get the job done.

 

[alishna]

Yeah, I’ve noticed some delays lately. The permitting process was already slow, especially for environmental permits, but with the recent wave of firings, it feels like things have really bogged down. It’s not just the loss of staff; it’s the loss of experience and institutional knowledge that’s making a difference.
I get the need for internal clean-up sometimes, but when it hits departments that are already understaffed, it creates real headaches on the ground. Even getting a response or status update is taking longer than usual. Hopefully, this is just a temporary slowdown while they regroup, but if you're planning around permits right now, it’s something to factor into your timeline.

Have you seen specific delays in your area or is it more of a general slowdown across the board?