Trump Admin Orders Multiple Agencies to Lay Off Nearly All Probationary Employees
President Trump's plan to shrink the size of the federal workforce is underway as he aims to get government spending under control.
The administration is ordering multiple agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who generally have less than a year on the job. The move could affect hundreds of thousands of workers.
It's expected to be the first step in sweeping layoffs as workers at some agencies were warned that large staff cuts would be coming. President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday telling federal agency leaders to plan for "large-scale reductions in force."
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Democrats are vowing to fight the president's plan, arguing that the workers aren't just unnamed bureaucrats, they are everyday men and women. House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said, "The attack on civil service is unacceptable, unconscionable, un-American, and we are going to stand with you until each and every one of the unlawful executive orders are fully and completely reversed."
This week, DOGE director Elon Musk joined President Trump in the Oval Office where he explained their goal is to get America's financial house in order by eliminating the federal government's $2 trillion annual deficit spending. He says the best way to start tackling such a massive deficit is to cut waste, fraud, and abuse from the federal bureaucracy.
"You can't have an autonomous federal bureaucracy, you have to have one that is responsive to the people, that's the whole point of democracy. And if we don't do something about this deficit, the country's going bankrupt. So what I really want to say is that it's not optional that the federal government reduce the expenses, it's essential," he said.
Musk went on to contend that once the deficit spending is halted, that will put an end to the inflation that's been hobbling the economy and hurting average Americans for the last four years.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 14, 2025
Meanwhile, 14 states have filed a lawsuit arguing Musk's authority at DOGE – the "Department of Government Efficiency" – is unconstitutional.
