The Trump administration continued its efforts Thursday to shrink the bloated federal workforce, with the Office of Personnel Management ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees, a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to disclose the information publicly told CBS News.
The layoffs could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of workers, and more cuts are expected soon, according to the report.
The CBS report states:
Even workers in the personnel office itself weren’t immune: Dozens of probationary employees at OPM were told on a Thursday afternoon group call that they were being dismissed and then instructed to leave the building within a half-hour, according to another person who likewise spoke on condition of anonymity.
The layoffs of probationary workers come after President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday telling agencies to get ready for “large-scale reductions in force.” The cuts do not apply to “public safety, immigration enforcement, or law enforcement,” the order reads.
President Trump’s executive order also says:
To restore accountability to the American public, this order commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.
Some probationary workers were fired earlier this week from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education (DOE), according to the report. A union that represents workers told the outlet at least 39 people were fired from the DOE on Wednesday.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Thursday that it had laid off more than 1,000 non-“mission critical” probationary workers, the report continues. The department said the move would save the VA more than $98 million per year, which it plans to redirect back to health care, benefits, and services for VA beneficiaries.
Another person familiar with the matter who spoke on a condition of anonymity told CBS News that employees at the National Science Foundation and Housing and Urban Development Department were told this week that large reductions are impending. In some cases, the reduction could even halve the workforce, the source said.
