UJ
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On Thursday, the Trump administration expanded its initiative to terminate numerous probationary employees, directing agencies during a conference call to proceed with the layoffs.
Authorities are focusing on probationary employees who have generally been on the job for under a year, or up to two years in certain situations, as they possess less job security and do not have rights to appeal.
According to the latest data from the US Office of Personnel Management for 2024, over 200,000 individuals have been employed by the federal government for less than a year.
The layoffs on Thursday were observed in the Departments of Energy and Veterans Affairs, along with others, following earlier terminations of many probationary employees this week at the Department of Education, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Small Business Administration.
Until recently, federal employees across all agencies had solely been placed on paid administrative leave.
The directive issued on Thursday indicated a change in policy, as OPM had previously informed agencies earlier that week they were not required to dismiss all probationary employees, suggesting instead to concentrate on those who were underperforming.
“The probationary period serves as a continuation of the job application process, not an assurance of permanent employment,” a spokesperson from OPM stated to UJ on Thursday. “Agencies are independently taking action in light of the recent hiring freeze and in alignment with the President’s larger goals to reform and streamline the federal government for better service to the American public.”
Since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have significantly changed the federal workforce landscape by dismissing senior officials and oversight figures, dismantling a significant humanitarian agency, and persuading over 75,000 employees to voluntarily exit through a deferred resignation offer.
The strategy to dismiss probationary employees had been in place since Trump’s first day in office when the acting head of OPM instructed all agencies to compile and submit a list of their probationary employees. The memo dated January 20 noted the simplicity of terminating these workers.
Terminations via Email and Video
According to sources within UJ, the termination notices were communicated to employees through emails, standardized letters, and video conferences.
At OPM, a significant number of probationary employees were fired during a Microsoft Teams call on Thursday afternoon, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents career employees at the office. After being sent an email to join the call, nearly 100 participants entered with their video and speaking features disabled, and they were informed that they were being terminated and would need to vacate the premises within 30 minutes.
The stated reason for their termination was the rejection of the deferred resignation offer, according to AFGE. After 3 p.m., the dismissed employees lost access to the building and government emails. Union representatives were reportedly not permitted on the call, stated AFGE.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the dismissal of over 1,000 employees while claiming it would result in annual savings exceeding $98 million. Nonetheless, most probationary employees — over 43,000 — were reportedly exempt from these terminations, as confirmed by the department.
A termination notice sent to a VA employee that was shared with UJ stated: “The Agency finds that your performance indicates further employment is not in the public interest.” Notifications for terminations at other departments contained similar wording.
This VA employee’s notice was signed by Tracey Therit, the VA Chief Human Capital Officer.
VA Secretary Doug Collins stated, “To be absolutely clear: these actions will not have a detrimental effect on VA healthcare, benefits, or beneficiaries.”
In the meantime, apprehension loomed among employees at the Department of Energy as probationary staff began receiving termination notices on Thursday.
“Our leadership appeared visibly shaken today,” remarked one employee from the Department of Energy to UJ. “It felt like it caught them off guard.”
Earlier that day, the agency’s interim general counsel convened a meeting with departmental heads to request a list of “mission-critical” probationary employees who could potentially avoid layoffs, according to an insider familiar with staffing. The Department of Energy has roughly 2,000 probationary employees, though the exact number affected by the terminations was not immediately available.
The American Federation of Government Employees pledged to contest the firings, alleging the administration has exploited the probationary period to execute a “politically motivated mass firing spree.”
“These dismissals are not about inadequate performance – there is no proof that these employees were anything less than devoted public servants. They are fundamentally about power,” stated AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a press release. “Agencies have invested years in recruiting and nurturing the next generation of public servants. By terminating them en masse, this administration is discarding the vital talent necessary for agencies to function effectively in the coming years.”
At the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, probationary employees were dismissed on Tuesday, yet dozens of so-called term employees were let go on Thursday evening, as revealed by sources familiar with the situation. These employees are typically employed for a specific period but still enjoy certain civil service protections as career employees.
The bureau’s technology team, which was assembled to work on artificial intelligence and other domains, was significantly affected by these terminations, according to one insider. The CFPB has yet to respond to a request for comment.
One of the agency’s term employees received their termination notice in a form letter sent to their personal email on Thursday evening, shortly after being barred from their work accounts. Although they were slated to continue working until 2026, they were informed that they were terminated effective immediately. They were advised that a prepaid box would be sent to return their ID badge, laptop, iPhone, and other CFPB property.
“I truly loved this job, safeguarding consumers every day,” expressed the employee, who has young children and a mortgage. “The financial repercussions for my family will be substantial.”
The termination notifications indicated that the employees were being dismissed due to the workforce optimization executive order, signed by Trump on Tuesday, which aims at a “significant transformation of the Federal bureaucracy” to “eliminate waste.” The order also tasked agency leaders with initiating preparations for large-scale reductions in force, or RIFs.
In addition, approximately 3,400 employees from the Forest Service and 2,000 from the Department of Energy were laid off on Thursday, as reported by Randy Erwin, national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, to The Wall Street Journal. UJ has reached out to NFFE for further details.
This report includes contributions from UJ’s Megan Trimble, Kaanita Iyer, and Ella Nilsen.
