DEA Ramps Up Recruitment For Agents To ‘Fight The War On Drugs’ As Trump And Musk’s DOGE Cuts Federal Workforce Elsewhere

At a time when agencies across the federal government are seeing massive spending and workforce cuts under the Trump administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is actively ramping up recruitment—urging people to join them on the frontlines of the “war on drugs,” even if they currently work as a “coffee barista” or otherwise have a non-law enforcement background.

DEA hasn’t just been largely exempt from the slash-and-burn approach to federal spending, which has been orchestrated by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) he’s running. The agency is apparently positioned to expand.

Specifically, in a series of social media posts on Monday, DEA said that it would be accepting up to 2,500 applications for people to become special agents. It said more than 1,700 applications have already been submitted, though it’s unclear how many special agents the agency plans to hire from the 2,500 candidates who will be considered.

Alongside Musk, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was initially charged with leading DOGE to size-down the federal government. And Ramaswamy previously insisted on expanding DEA, despite his stated support for marijuana and psychedelics legalization.

In a recruitment video embedded in the job posting, DEA said, “The mission is simple: We fight the war on drugs.”

That language is notable, as there’s generally been a shift away from drug war rhetoric in recent years amid criticism about the costs and efficacy of the punitive, enforcement-centered approach the country has taken in its attempt to combat illicit drugs since former President Richard Nixon declared that “war” in 1971.

“No one does what we do better than us,” one DEA representative said.

Have you heard? #DEA is hiring Special Agents!

The job announcement opened today, & 𝟏,𝟕𝟎𝟎+ applications have been received!

Only 2,500 applications will be accepted. Don’t miss your chance to make a difference.

APPLY NOW! https://t.co/rtwwBozatR #DEAJobs #DEACareers pic.twitter.com/RjSiiplETZ

— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) April 7, 2025

“We come from all different walks of life. We have people that were former teachers, or one of my classmates in the academy was a former skydiver,” another said.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a coffee barista or a SWAT sniper.”

Here’s DEA’s summary of the special agent posotions it’s recruiting for:

“TOUGH WORK. VITAL MISSION. Challenge yourself! You have the power to help combat drug trafficking. Be a part of DEA! It’s tough work, but a vital mission. Whatever your background or expertise, your work at DEA will be tremendously rewarding because it will have a daily impact on national security and the quality of life of all Americans.”

While the video title notes it was produced under former President Joe Biden in 2024, it was published on DEA’s YouTube account last month. And it’s being promoted now as the agency started accepting applications, which lasts until next Monday.

𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍! DEA is looking for qualified individuals to become Special Agents! If you are interested in making a difference APPLY NOW! Only 2500 applications will be accepted. Students graduating within 9 months w/a 2.95 GPA can apply too! #DEAJobs https://t.co/rtwwBozatR pic.twitter.com/e7JyAVc9Xz

— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) April 7, 2025

The video stresses that candidates who are accepted as a DEA special agent will be given job training on the core components of the job, including firearms and report writing. One person pitches the role by saying it involves “every aspect of what you think about when you think of the word ‘special agent.’”

“DEA, of course, you’ve got that family. Everybody’s all together. We have a bond because we’re a small agency,” another representative says.

DEA might not be as large of a law enforcement department compared to FBI, for example. But with approximately 10,000 people on its payroll, it isn’t especially “small,” and its budget exceeds $3 billion.

Despite that, DEA’s workforce hasn’t appeared to be impacted by the cuts that have been levied against other agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or Department of Energy (DOE).

Musk, for his part, has occasionally played into cannabis culture, at one point puffing a joint on Joe Rogan’s podcast before assuming his role at DOGE. Yet, in February, he said he thought it was a “great idea” to drug test all federal employees as one potential means of reducing the federal workforce.

Then, last week, a Democratic congresswoman filed a bill that would require Musk and other DOGE workers to submit to drug testing to maintain their “special government employee” status.

Meanwhile, DEA recently promoted an “Anti-420 Day” campaign that’s recruiting students to send short videos warning their peers about marijuana use.

The top position at the agency is currently being held on an interim basis by Acting Administrator Derek Maltz, who has made a series of sensational claims about marijuana—calling it a gateway drug that sets children up to use other substances and alleging that the Justice Department “hijacked” the cannabis rescheduling process from DEA, for example.

But Trump has since named his pick for a permanent administrator, selecting a decades-long agency veteran and top Virginia official, Terrance Cole, who’s separately voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth.

In the background, a proposal to reschedule marijuana that was initiated under the Biden administration is currently in DEA’s court, though administrative hearings on the rule stalled out at the end of the former president’s term due to complications among selected witnesses.

Advocates and stakeholders were separately disappointed last week after the White House Office of Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released a list of priorities for Trump’s first term that did not mention cannabis rescheduling or any other marijuana reforms. Trump endorsed rescheduling on the campaign trail, but he hasn’t publicly addressed the issue since taking office.