The former president and the tech mogul's aggressive restructuring of the U.S. government workforce has begun with widespread terminations of probationary employees.
According to Reuters, multiple federal agencies have initiated large-scale dismissals in the past 48 hours, affecting hundreds of recently hired government workers still in their probationary period, marking the start of Donald Trump's promised bureaucratic overhaul.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducted a group termination call on Thursday, dismissing all probationary staff and ordering them to vacate the Washington headquarters by 3 p.m. ET. The agency, which serves as the federal government's human resources division, also advised other government bodies to follow suit with their probationary employees, allowing few exceptions.
The Department of Education and Small Business Administration (SBA) have already issued termination notices to at least 160 and 45 employees, respectively. The General Services Administration (GSA) has targeted approximately 100 probationary workers for dismissal. These actions align with Trump's campaign promise to eliminate certain federal departments, particularly the Department of Education, which he recently labeled a "con job."
The termination letters sent to SBA employees stated their dismissal was due to inadequate performance and misalignment with current needs. Meanwhile, Education Department employees received notices indicating their continued employment would not serve the public interest. These dismissals have created significant uncertainty among federal workers, with many expressing concerns about their financial stability.
A GSA employee facing termination shared their experience. The worker, who had nearly completed their probation period and maintained excellent performance reviews, expressed distress over the sudden job loss:
Up until two weeks ago, this was an absolute dream job. Now it's become an absolute nightmare because of what is going on. I have small children and a mortgage to pay
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has expanded its reach by deploying team members to the Internal Revenue Service. This development has raised concerns about potential cuts at the tax collection agency, which Republicans have long criticized. The move represents a significant escalation in Musk's involvement in government restructuring.
The administration's buyout program has attracted approximately 75,000 workers, representing 3% of the civilian workforce. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the program's timeline despite questions about allowing more time for consideration. The initiative's rapid implementation has drawn criticism from various quarters, including Republican budget experts who question its ideological motivation.
Musk, speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, emphasized his stance: "We do need to delete entire agencies."
The unprecedented restructuring of federal agencies has sparked numerous legal challenges from labor unions and Democratic attorneys general. These actions affect a significant portion of the 280,000 civilian government workers hired within the past two years. The initiative has extended beyond domestic agencies, with U.S. embassies worldwide receiving instructions to prepare for staff reductions.
Trump and Musk defend their aggressive approach, citing government bloat and financial waste as primary concerns. However, the speed and scale of the changes have created widespread anxiety among federal workers in Washington, D.C., who fear future targeting. The administration's determination to proceed despite opposition signals a significant shift in federal workforce management.
Trump's second-term administration, supported by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has initiated an unprecedented overhaul of the federal government structure through mass terminations of probationary employees across multiple agencies.
The restructuring, driven by their vision of eliminating government inefficiency, has begun with the dismissal of hundreds of workers at key departments including Education, Small Business Administration, and General Services Administration. As legal challenges mount and employee concerns grow, the administration appears committed to its controversial approach to reducing the 2.3 million-strong civilian federal workforce.
