Major union and advocacy group condemn mass firing of probationary employees
The largest federal employee union as well as an advocacy group for the government workforce have condemned the Trump administration’s move to fire employees in their probationary period.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, accused the Trump administration of targeting workers new in their positions simply because they want to get rid of them:
This administration has abused the probationary period to conduct a politically driven mass firing spree, targeting employees not because of performance, but because they were hired before Trump took office.
These firings are not about poor performance – there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants. They are about power. They are about gutting the federal government, silencing workers, and forcing agencies into submission to a radical agenda that prioritizes cronyism over competence.
And Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, said that the move could be crippling to workforce’s future functionality:
The Trump administration’s decision to fire civil servants who have been in service for under a year is yet another profoundly damaging action. With just over 7% of federal employees under age 30, our government needs a new generation of workers with the necessary skills to better serve the needs of our modern society. By terminating employees simply because they are the most vulnerable, the Trump administration has just thrown away our down payment on the future. Many of those who lost their jobs today were newer hires made in areas of great need for our government, including AI, cybersecurity, and technology. It is ultimately our country that will pay a heavy price for this arbitrary dismantling of the civil service.
Key events
Vance takes Europe to task in speech to security summit
JD Vance scolded European leaders in a speech to a major security conference in Germany, accusing the American allies of restricting free speech, being overly tolerant of immigration and retreating from values shared with the United States.
The vice-president’s remarks are sure to cause controversy on the continent, which is reeling from Donald Trump’s announcement this week that his government would seek to broker peace in Ukraine through direct negotiations with Vladimir Putin. We have a live blog covering the latest news from Europe as well as Vance’s remarks, and you can read it here:
CDC to cut 10% of workforce after Trump layoff order
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will lose about 10% of its employees after the Trump administration ordered the firing of all hires still in their probationary period, the Associated Press reports.
That amounts to about 1,300 employees, according to the AP, which reports the order was communicated verbally to staff by the health and human services department, which oversees the agency tasked with fighting diseases such as Covid-19. Here’s more:
The Atlanta-based agency’s leadership was notified of the decision Friday morning. The verbal notice came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a meeting with CDC leaders, according to a federal official who was at the meeting. The official was not authorized to discuss it and spoke to The Associated Press on condition anonymity.
The affected employees are supposed to receive four weeks paid administrative leave, the official said, adding that it wasn’t clear when individual workers would receive notice.
With a $9.2 billion core budget, the CDC is charged with protecting Americans from outbreaks and other public health threats. Before the cuts, the agency had about 13,000 employees, including more than 2,000 staff work in other countries.
Historically CDC has been seen as a global leader on disease control and a reliable source of health information, boasting some of the top experts in the world.
The staff is heavy with scientists — 60% have master’s degrees or doctorates. Most of the workforce does not belong to a union.
It’s not only new employees who are subject to probation. Probationary periods also are applied to veteran staffers who, for example, were recently promoted to a new job in management.
The plans for dramatic layoffs at the department of housing and urban development came after its secretary, Scott Turner, announced a taskforce to support Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency”.
“We will be very detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent in serving tribal, rural and urban communities across America,” Turner said. “With president Trump’s leadership, business as usual, the status quo is no longer the posture that we will take, and with the help of Doge, we will identify and eliminate all waste fraud and abuse.”
Federal housing department to lay off half of workforce, including civil rights staff – report
The department of housing and urban development plans a 50% reduction in its workforce, a dramatic downsizing of the agency tasked with administering federal housing policy, Bloomberg Law reports.
An employee union official told the outlet that among those cut would be staff who handle civil rights issues, as well as those who compile data about the housing market. Here’s more:
Antonio Gaines, president of AFGE National Council 222, said the department will cut employees in the offices that enforce civil rights laws, compile data about the housing market, and pay to rebuild communities after disasters. The Federal Housing Administration, which provides mortgage insurance on loans, will be excluded, Gaines said.
The agency didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
HUD provides housing and community development assistance. The agency employs 9,600 people, according to its website.
President Donald Trump directed agency heads Feb. 11 to “undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force” that focus on firing workers who “perform functions not mandated by statute,” including “diversity, equity and inclusion programs.”
The Associated Press reports that Donald Trump’s move to lay off federal employees in their probationary period won’t save much money, but could jeopardize a host of government projects.
Among them: cancer research. Here’s more, from the AP:
The firing of probationary employees began earlier this week and has included the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education workers.
At least 39 were fired from the Education Department on Wednesday, according to a union that represents agency workers, including civil rights workers, special education specialists and student aid officials.
The layoffs also hit Department of Veterans Affairs researchers working on cancer treatment, opioid addiction, prosthetics and burn pit exposure, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, said Thursday.
Murray said in a statement that she heard from VA researchers in her state who were told to stop their research immediately, “not because their work isn’t desperately needed, but because Trump and Elon have decided to fire these researchers on a whim.”
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group that defends government workers, said the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service would be hit especially hard by laying off probationary employees because it has trouble recruiting inspectors required to be present at all times at most slaughterhouses.
The civilian federal workforce , not including military personnel and postal workers, is made up of about 2.4 million people. While about 20% of the workers are in Washington D.C., and the neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia, more than 80% live outside the Capitol region.
Layoffs are unlikely to yield significant deficit savings. When the Congressional Budget Office looked at the issue, it found the government spent $271 billion annually compensating civilian federal workers, with about 60% of that total going to workers employed by the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.
Major union and advocacy group condemn mass firing of probationary employees
The largest federal employee union as well as an advocacy group for the government workforce have condemned the Trump administration’s move to fire employees in their probationary period.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, accused the Trump administration of targeting workers new in their positions simply because they want to get rid of them:
This administration has abused the probationary period to conduct a politically driven mass firing spree, targeting employees not because of performance, but because they were hired before Trump took office.
These firings are not about poor performance – there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants. They are about power. They are about gutting the federal government, silencing workers, and forcing agencies into submission to a radical agenda that prioritizes cronyism over competence.
And Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, said that the move could be crippling to workforce’s future functionality:
The Trump administration’s decision to fire civil servants who have been in service for under a year is yet another profoundly damaging action. With just over 7% of federal employees under age 30, our government needs a new generation of workers with the necessary skills to better serve the needs of our modern society. By terminating employees simply because they are the most vulnerable, the Trump administration has just thrown away our down payment on the future. Many of those who lost their jobs today were newer hires made in areas of great need for our government, including AI, cybersecurity, and technology. It is ultimately our country that will pay a heavy price for this arbitrary dismantling of the civil service.
Trump administration continues to gut federal workforce after Musk call to ‘delete’ agencies
Good morning, US politics blog readers. The Trump administration’s drive to downsize the federal workforce continues, with news that thousands of US government employees across the United States have been told they are being let go. The latest cuts target employees in their probationary periods at agencies that include the Department of Veterans Affairs, Small Business Administration and US Forest Service. That’s in addition to the 75,000 employees the White House said accepted its legally questionable offer of deferred resignations. All this is taking place after Elon Musk, who Trump has appointed as chair of his “department of government efficiency” said that his intention was to “delete entire agencies”. Federal worker unions have sued over his moves, while warning that the Trump-Musk drive to downsize government by going after the people who work there threatens to undermine programs Americans depend on. We’ll tell you more about that today.
Here’s what else is going on:
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Trump is heading to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend this afternoon, but before he does, he’ll sign executive orders at 1pm. He often invites the press into the Oval Office to watch him do so.
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Top federal prosecutors have resigned after receiving orders from the justice department to drop bribery charges against New York mayor Eric Adams. We expect to hear more about the fallout from the decision throughout the day.
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JD Vance is scheduled to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and deliver remarks at the Munich security conference, where America’s European allies are grasping for details of the Trump administration’s new policy on Ukraine. We have a live blog covering it all, and you can read it here.
