President Trump and Elon Musk, who is leading the administration’s downsizing efforts, are pushing for quick and widespread layoffs. But the blitz has run into a complicated set of restrictions.

President Donald Trump has moved to dramatically shrink the size of the federal workforce and mass terminations have already begun at several U.S. government agencies. But a tangled web of laws and regulations around hiring and firing government employees could mire Trump's efforts in lawsuits and delays.

Layoffs, targeted firings and the removal of independent officials are constrained by civil-service rules, federal laws and constitutional guarantees—all of which will face legal tests.