Workers across the US reacted with anger and confusion as the Trump administration pushed to shrink the federal workforce by ordering agencies to lay off probationary employees without civil service protections. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk have launched a large-scale effort to cut the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce, dismissing at least 9,500 employees this week in an unprecedented move.
The layoffs targeted employees with less than a year of service, who have fewer job protections. Trump’s executive order on Tuesday directed agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions” after only 75,000 workers accepted voluntary buyouts.
On Thursday night, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced over 1,000 dismissals, including researchers working on cancer treatment, opioid addiction, and prosthetics, according to Sen. Patty Murray.
A union representing agency workers reported that dozens were fired from the Education Department, including special education specialists and student aid officials.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1,300 probationary employees—around a tenth of its workforce—are being let go, and leadership was informed of the decision on Friday.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said her agency welcomed Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team “with open arms” and that further layoffs “will be forthcoming.”
“Clearly, it’s a new day,” Rollins stated at the White House. “I think the American people spoke on November 5th, that they believe that government was too big.”
Musk’s DOGE team has also started sending termination notices to US Digital Service (USDS) employees, a federal IT group now under his control.
For weeks, USDS employees—who have worked in federal IT since the Obama era—have faced uncertainty. Although the service has been renamed the United States DOGE Service under Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, it has primarily served as a hiring vehicle for Musk’s team.
Termination letters sent to more than a dozen employees on Friday came from “U.S. DOGE SERVICE” and cited Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order establishing DOGE as the reason.
Impact on workers
The administration’s sweeping effort to cut the federal workforce has impacted employees nationwide, with layoff notices being issued agency by agency. Workers from Michigan to Florida were caught off guard as they were abruptly informed that their services were no longer needed.
The chaotic nature of the firings was evident as some employees who had already accepted deferred resignation offers—allowing them to be paid until Sept. 30—still received termination notices, raising concerns about whether others with similar agreements would also be fired.
On Friday evening, the Office of Personnel Management admitted that some terminations might have been sent in error and assured that buyout agreements would be honoured.
“This has been slash and burn,” said Nicholas Detter, a former natural resource specialist in Kansas who was fired via email late Thursday. He criticised the lack of consideration for employees and those they served.
“None of this has been done thoughtfully or carefully,” he added.
No official count yet on probationary worker layoffs
The White House and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) declined to disclose how many probationary workers, typically those with less than a year on the job, have been dismissed. As of March 2024, OPM data showed 220,000 such employees.
Agencies have until 8 pm Tuesday to issue layoff notices, according to a source familiar with the plan. The layoffs are part of the administration’s broader effort to downsize the federal workforce, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Legal and public pushback
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and other unions filed a lawsuit Thursday, calling the terminations unlawful.
Terminating trained probationary employees “will have a devastating impact on agency missions and government operations,” wrote NTEU President Doreen Greenwald, adding that many agencies are already “severely understaffed” due to budget cuts.
On Friday, Democracy Forward filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, urging an investigation into possible federal personnel violations and calling for a halt to the firings during the inquiry.
Meanwhile, labour activists and federal workers protested the job cuts outside Washington’s Hubert H. Humphrey Building on Friday morning.
(With Associated Press inputs)