In a sweeping move by the Trump administration, thousands of federal employees have been abruptly terminated in recent days. Groups of workers received termination notices via group calls or pre-recorded messages, with some given as little as 30 minutes to clear their desks and leave their offices. The affected departments include the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the General Services Administration (GSA).
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) saw about 100 employees being dismissed in a Microsoft Teams group call. The rationale provided for these dismissals was that the employees had not accepted the Trump administration's deferred resignation plan. The Department of Veteran Affairs also laid off 1,000 probationary employees, citing performance issues as a reason for termination.
"The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest." – Department of Veteran Affairs
The White House had set a goal to reduce federal workforce numbers by 5-10%, estimating that a similar percentage of employees would accept buyout offers. However, only 3.75% of workers, approximately 75,000 individuals, agreed to the buyout deal. This offer allowed those who accepted to receive payment through September 30. A judge's ruling on Wednesday confirmed that these buyouts could proceed, enabling officials to finalize the plan.
Federal agencies were instructed to focus on dismissing probationary staff, which has led to projections that as many as 200,000 workers could be affected by the layoffs. The US Forest Service is expected to cut more than 3,000 jobs, while additional layoffs loom at the National Science Foundation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Employees from various agencies expressed frustration and disbelief over the sudden terminations. Everett Kelley voiced concerns about the fairness of these actions.
"Employees were given no notice, no due process, and no opportunity to defend themselves in a blatant violation of the principles of fairness and merit that are supposed to govern federal employment." – Everett Kelley
The abrupt manner in which these layoffs were communicated has drawn significant criticism. At the Department of Veteran Affairs, for instance, employees were informed through termination notices that they had only half an hour to leave the premises.
The buyout offers were part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to reduce government spending and streamline operations. Despite the administration's expectations, the lower-than-anticipated acceptance rate of buyout offers has resulted in more direct layoffs than initially planned.