15.02.2025 15:41
In the United States, the Donald Trump administration terminated the jobs of thousands of federal employees working in various fields, from wildfires to medical research. It was reported that agencies were given until February 18 to lay off employees on probation.
In the United States, the Donald Trump administration has terminated the employment of thousands of federal workers involved in various jobs, from preventing wildfires to medical research, within the last two days. According to Axios, an unnamed person with knowledge of the process stated that agencies were given until February 18 to lay off employees on probation.
It was noted that there are approximately 200,000 employees on probation in the agencies, and it was reported that exceptions could be made depending on the situation.
THE MAJORITY OF THOSE TERMINATED ARE PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES
It was indicated that most of those laid off are either probationary employees or "temporary" individuals with specific time frames. Some employees from the IRS, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Department of Agriculture reported that they were laid off or received layoff notices for their colleagues, with more expected.
According to a statement made to Axios by an official from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), all 18 personnel working in the career communications area of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government's human resources department, were terminated.
CALL TO "VACATE THE BUILDING"
An AFGE official reported that OPM laid off dozens of probationary employees via video calls around 2:30 PM on February 13, and these individuals were told they needed to vacate the building by 3:00 PM. In notifications sent to employees of the Department of Energy (DOE) reviewed by Axios, the phrase "In accordance with OPM instructions, DOE has determined that the continuation of your employment is not in the public interest." was used, and the message stated, "Therefore, you are being removed from your position at DOE and the federal public service effective today."
LAYOFFS CAME IN RAPID SUCCESSION
The Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed on February 13 that over 1,000 employees were laid off, while CNN reported that 3,400 were laid off from the U.S. Forest Service and 2,000 from the Department of Energy, and STAT News indicated that 5,200 were terminated from the Department of Health. A spokesperson from OPM, in a statement to Axios, described the probationary period as "the continuation of the job application process," stating that agencies acted independently "in light of the recent hiring freezes and to support Trump's broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government." Meanwhile, the White House, which has not yet made a statement on the total number of layoffs, did not respond to Axios's request for comment on the matter.