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The Department of Veterans Affairs, looking after healthcare to veterans, announced it had laid off over 1,000 employees still in their probationary period.
US President Donald Trump with Elon Musk | File Image/AP
The newly-formed US government dismissed over 9,500 employees from various agencies on Thursday as part of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s effort to radically overhaul America’s bureaucracy.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, looking after healthcare to veterans, announced it had laid off over 1,000 employees still in their probationary period, while the US Forest Service planned to terminate more than 3,000 staff members.
The union sources and employees familiar with the moves told news agency Reuters that termination emails have been sent in the past 48 hours to workers across the government, mostly recently hired employees still on probation.
Some agencies, including the Departments of Interior, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services, targeted employees with less job protection, while others, such as the independent watchdog Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, were effectively shut down, with cuts also impacting fixed-term contract workers.
Trump Defends Layoff Move
Trump defended the ever-widening initiative, arguing that the federal government is overly bloated, with too much money lost to waste and fraud. With the federal government carrying a $36 trillion debt and running a $1.8 trillion deficit last year, there is bipartisan consensus on the necessity for government reform.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about Musk’s blunt approach, especially given the immense influence he has gained during Trump’s presidency. According to government data, around 280,000 civilian government workers were hired less than two years ago, with most still on probation, making them more vulnerable to termination.
In a statement, the Department of Veterans Affairs said the firings will “save the department more than $98 million per year, and VA will redirect all of those resources back toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.”
Legal Challenge Ahead?
As the firings began, a group of 14 states filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, claiming that Trump’s appointment of Musk was illegal, granting him “unchecked legal authority” without Congressional approval.
Most civil service employees can only be fired for poor performance or misconduct and are entitled to various due process and appeal rights if terminated unfairly.
However, the probationary employees primarily affected by Thursday’s layoffs have fewer legal protections.
(With agency inputs)
