Thousands of federal employees already fired, Donald Trump and Elon Musk to target more today
Thousands of workers at multiple government agencies have been fired so far this week. Most of the fired employees were recent hires on probation.
US President Donald Trump's bid to downsize the government continues as anxious US federal workers expect to see another round of pink slips on Friday.
Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk's overhaul of the federal government appeared to be widening as Musk aides arrived for the first time on Thursday at the federal tax-collecting agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and US embassies were told to prepare for staff cuts.
Thousands of workers at multiple government agencies have been fired so far this week. Most of the fired employees were recent hires who were still on probation. The affected departments include Veterans Affairs (VA), Education, and the Small Business Administration.
According to a report by Reuters, the idea of firing probationary employees was floated by the officials from the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees federal hiring.
Government data shows that about 280,000 employees out of the 2.3 million member civilian federal workforce were hired in the last two years, with most still on probation. These employees are easier to fire than the old, permanent ones.
Firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), however, were going beyond probationary employees, the Reuters report said. Some employees who were on fixed-term contracts have also been axed.
Why is Donald Trump downsizing the US government?
Donald Trump believes that the federal government is too bloated and too much money is lost to waste and fraud.
The federal government has some $36 trillion in debt and ran a $1.8 trillion deficit last year. A bipartisan agreement on the need for government reform is also in place.
The Republican leaders, who have majorities in both chambers of the US Congress, have broadly supported the moves, even as Democrats say Trump is encroaching on the legislature's constitutional authority over federal spending.
Critics have also questioned the blunt force approach of Musk, the world's richest person, who has amassed extraordinary influence in Trump's presidency.
The Donald Trump administration has offered some federal workers an incentive package to quit voluntarily. About 75,000 workers have signed up for the buyout, according to the White House. That is equal to 3 percent of the civilian workforce.
The administration has also tried to gut civil-service protections for career employees, and frozen most of US foreign aid. They have attempted to shutter some government agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the CFPB almost entirely.
Unions representing federal workers have already sued to block the buyout plan and one of them, the American Federation of Government Workers, said on Thursday it will fight the mass firings of probationary employees.
Musk has sent DOGE members into at least 16 government agencies, where they have gained access to computer systems with sensitive personnel and financial information, and sent workers home.
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