Trump Administration Starts Downsizing Newly Hired Federal Employees: NPR

Federal employees have started to receive layoff notices as the Trump administration progresses with plans for a significant government downsizing.

Although the complete extent of the layoffs is not yet determined, the initial wave of cuts seems to focus on newly hired personnel still on probation, according to various federal officials and staff members who spoke with NPR on condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation from the Trump administration.

The terminations impact a broad range of federal employees, including those involved in education, small business grants, and management of the nation’s nuclear arsenal.

Probationary periods differ among federal agencies, typically lasting between one to two years. Government data indicates that as of March 2024, approximately 220,000 federal employees had less than a year of service, while another 288,000 had served between one and two years.

On Tuesday, President Trump issued an executive order instructing federal agencies to begin preparing for “large-scale reductions in force.” Trump and his advisor Elon Musk have expressed their desire to eliminate what they perceive as excessive government expenditures.

According to government records, compensation for federal workers constituted roughly 3% of the federal budget for the fiscal year 2024.

Starting Thursday, the Department of Energy began dismissing its probationary employees, as two officials from the agency disclosed to NPR on condition of anonymity.

These individuals, with less than two years of federal service, were let go with little to no notice or severance. Although a formal dismissal letter was being drafted, some employees were informed verbally.

Mass terminations also impacted the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-autonomous body within the Energy Department responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons.

According to an employee from the NNSA, around 300 out of the agency’s 1,800 personnel are anticipated to be terminated after the agency was denied a national security exemption. This small organization is tasked with maintaining and upgrading the country’s nuclear arsenal, combating nuclear terrorism, and curbing proliferation worldwide.

An official from the Energy Department indicated that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had advised using a template claiming “performance reasons” for the dismissals. However, the letter from the Energy Department omitted that language since many terminated employees had performed adequately during their probationary period. The Energy Department’s press office did not respond to a request for comment promptly.

Late Thursday, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the layoff of over 1,000 employees, including non-bargaining unit probationary staff. The VA noted that this action would save over $98 million annually, which would be redirected “toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.”

The VA indicated that most of its more than 43,000 probationary staff were insulated from layoffs because they were in “mission-critical positions” or covered under a collective bargaining agreement. Those who accepted the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer were also exempted. This offer allowed 2 million civilian federal employees to resign while keeping their pay and benefits through the end of September or remain in their roles without job security.

Probationary employees from the Office of Personnel Management were similarly dismissed on Thursday, as reported by a representative from the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 civil servants across various federal agencies. The representative communicated with NPR anonymously to relay internal discussions.

During a Microsoft Teams call involving about 100 participants, OPM staff were informed their dismissals were due to not accepting the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation offer, according to the union representative. Affected OPM employees were instructed to vacate the premises by 3 p.m. ET Thursday. AFGE officials were not granted access to the building.

“This administration has exploited the probationary period for a politically motivated mass firing campaign, targeting employees not for performance reasons, but because they were hired before Trump assumed office,” stated AFGE president Everett Kelley in a statement late Thursday.

“Agencies have devoted years to recruiting and nurturing the next generation of public servants. By dismissing them en masse, this administration is squandering the essential talent these agencies require to function effectively in the future,” Kelley remarked.

Probationary personnel at the Department of Education began receiving written termination notifications on Wednesday night informing them of immediate dismissal, shared anonymously by four employees fearing repercussions.

At least 60 probationary staff members in the Education Department received layoff notices, according to the union representative.

“This is devastating for me,” remarked one department employee to NPR on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation. “Taking my oath was the proudest moment of my career.”

When NPR requested confirmation regarding the layoffs, an agency spokesperson stated that they do not comment on personnel issues.

Many probationary employees at the General Services Administration were summoned to meetings on Wednesday afternoon and informed of their upcoming termination, according to three GSA workers who spoke to NPR. Some were given a final opportunity to accept the government’s deferred resignation offer, which closed officially shortly thereafter. By Thursday, numerous affected GSA employees had yet to receive formal written termination notices.

In some agencies, the notification process has been disorganized and confusing.

At the Small Business Administration, probationary employees initially received email termination notices last Friday, only to be informed by another email on Monday that it was a mistake. Then, on Tuesday, these employees received a new termination notice. The union representative indicated that dozens of SBA probationary workers were laid off.

Termination letters emailed to probationary employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday appeared to stem from a flawed mail merge, as reported by two employees who received the notices.

The erroneous notices lacked personal information and read: “MEMORANDUM FOR [EmployeeFirstName] [EmployeeLastName], [Job Title], [Division]”.

According to Jasmine Hardy, the executive vice president of NTEU Chapter 335, the CFPB union has identified approximately 73 “bargaining-unit” employees in their probationary period who were laid off.

NPR’s Stephen Fowler, Jonaki Mehta, and Laurel Wamsley contributed to this report.