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The Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce gained momentum on Thursday, with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) instructing agencies to terminate nearly all probationary employees. This directive, revealed by an anonymous source familiar with the matter, could potentially impact hundreds of thousands of workers, with further cuts anticipated in the near future.
The report from CBS News indicates that even employees within the OPM itself were not immune to these layoffs. Dozens of probationary staff members at the agency were informed during a group call on Thursday afternoon that they were being dismissed and were instructed to vacate the premises within half an hour, according to another anonymous source.
TRUMP ADMIN BEGINS MASS LAYOFFS OF FEDERAL WORKERS.
Department of Education, EPA, SBA, CFPB, GSA, OPM. pic.twitter.com/jyDjaMZA0m
— john jackson (@pvtjokerus) February 14, 2025
These probationary worker terminations follow President Trump’s executive order issued on Tuesday, which directed agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force.” However, the order exempts positions related to “public safety, immigration enforcement, or law enforcement.”
President Trump’s executive order further stated: “To restore accountability to the American public, this order commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.”
According to the report, some probationary workers had already been fired earlier this week from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education (DOE). A union representing workers informed the outlet that at least 39 individuals were terminated from the DOE on Wednesday.
🚨 #BREAKING: President Trump has just begun MASS LAYOFFS across the federal government, per CBS
YOU’RE FIRED!
Thousands of employees from the Department of Education, EPA, SBA, CFPB, and more are headed to the unemployment line
They had the opportunity to take an 8 month… pic.twitter.com/l6TL2658PP
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 13, 2025
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Thursday that it had laid off more than 1,000 non-“mission critical” probationary workers. The department stated that this move would save the VA over $98 million annually, which it plans to redirect towards healthcare, benefits, and services for VA beneficiaries.
> Even workers in the personnel office itself weren’t immune: Dozens of probationary employees at OPM were told on a Thursday afternoon group call that they were being dismissed and then instructed to leave the building within a half-hour, according to another person who likewise spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another source, speaking anonymously, informed CBS News that employees at the National Science Foundation and the Housing and Urban Development Department were notified this week of impending large-scale reductions. In some cases, the source claimed, the workforce could potentially be halved.
