Trump administration moves to dismiss thousands of Federal employees: Report

The decision, which could impact up to 200,000 workers, is part of an effort to streamline the federal workforce, Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with internal discussions.

The directive, issued Thursday, applies primarily to employees hired within the past two years. While some working in public safety and law enforcement may be exempt, final discretion rests with agency heads, according to Wall Street Journal.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, strongly criticized the mass layoffs, calling them an attack on fairness and due process. “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,” he said, vowing legal action.

Reports indicate that agencies moved quickly to enforce the directive. According to The Washington Post, some employees were informed of their termination through prerecorded video messages and group calls, while others were abruptly asked to leave within 30 minutes. Several employees said they were awaiting formal dismissal emails that never arrived.

Data cited by Wall Street Journal suggests that as of last March, more than 220,000 federal employees were still within their one-year probationary period, making them more vulnerable to termination without cause.

Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, warned that the move could lead to a mass exodus of young talent from the government. “It’s stripping out, likely, a whole new generation of talent for our government, who are targeted not because of evidence of poor performance but because they are easier to get rid of,” he said.

The dismissals coincide with the shutdown of the administration’s deferred resignation program, which had offered voluntary exits with financial support through September. More than 75,000 employees had accepted the offer before the program was halted due to a legal challenge in Massachusetts, according to McLaurine Pinover, spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management.

At least five federal agencies-including those involved in small business support and education research-have already seen terminations. Federal News Network first reported that the Office of Personnel Management advised agencies to dismiss probationary employees who had been on the job for less than a year.

While the administration claims the move will cut costs and reduce federal spending by roughly 1%, employees affected by the terminations say they were given little justification. Many received generic notices stating they “have not demonstrated that [their] further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest,” according to The Washington Post.

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