Thousands fired in US government as Trump, Musk purge federal workers

WASHINGTON – The US government began firing thousands of people at multiple agencies on Feb 13 as President Donald Trump and Mr Elon Musk accelerate their purge of America’s federal bureaucracy, union sources and employees familiar with the moves told Reuters.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which provides healthcare for veterans, said it had let go of more than 1,000 employees who were in their probationary period, while the US Forest Service was set to fire more than 3,000.

Termination e-mails have been sent in the past 48 hours to workers across the government, mostly recently hired employees still on probation, at agencies such as the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages many federal buildings.

The overhaul of the federal government appeared to be widening as Mr Musk’s aides arrived for the first time at the federal tax-collecting agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and US embassies were told to prepare for staff cuts.

Mr Trump has defended the effort, saying the federal government is too bloated and that too much money is lost to waste and fraud.

The federal government has some US$36 trillion (S$48.4 trillion) in debt and ran a US$1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, and there is bipartisan agreement on the need for government reform.

But critics have questioned the blunt force approach of Mr Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, who has amassed extraordinary influence in Mr Trump’s presidency.

According to government data, about 280,000 civilian government workers were hired less than two years ago, with most still on probation, which makes them easier to fire.

Firings at the CFPB appeared to be going beyond probationary employees.

Notices went to dozens of term employees, full-time workers who have contracts with end dates, said sources, who requested anonymity to avoid any reprisal.

The new round of CFPB firings comes after the consumer protection agency on Feb 11 terminated as many as 70 probationary employees.

Meanwhile, the US Forest Service was set to fire 3,400 probationary employees at all levels of the agency, Politico reported, citing sources, who noted that firefighters would be exempted.

In a statement, the VA said the firings would “save the department more than US$98 million a year, and VA will redirect all of those resources back towards healthcare, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries”.

All probationary staff at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the human resources arm for the US government, were fired in a group call on Feb 13 and told to leave the agency’s headquarters in Washington, two sources said.

OPM officials also met other government agencies on Feb 13 and advised them to lay off their probationary employees, with some exceptions, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Legal challenges

Even as the firings commenced, a group of 14 states filed a federal lawsuit in Washington alleging that Mr Trump appointed Mr Musk illegally, giving him “unchecked legal authority” without authorisation from the US Congress.

Most civil service employees can be fired legally only for bad performance or misconduct, and they have a host of due process and appeal rights if they are let go arbitrarily.

The probationary employees primarily targeted in Feb 13’s wave have fewer legal protections.

‘You are not fit’

The Feb 13 moves fulfil Mr Trump’s vow to reduce the size of the federal government and root out the “deep state”, a reference to bureaucrats he views as not sufficiently loyal to him.

“The agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment with the agency,” letters sent to at least 45 probationers at the SBA stated.

Reuters has seen a copy of the termination letter.

Letters to at least 160 recent hires at the Department of Education, also seen by Reuters, told them that their continued employment “would not be in the public interest”.

Mr Trump, a Republican serving his second term, on Feb 12 reiterated his desire to close the Department of Education.

About 100 probationary employees received termination letters on Feb 13 at the GSA, according to two people familiar with the firings.

One GSA employee, who said he had one month left until his probation period ended and had been receiving excellent performance reviews, was told this week he would be fired on Feb 14.

“Up until two weeks ago, this was an absolute dream job. Now it has become an absolute nightmare because of what is going on. I have small children and a mortgage to pay,” the worker told Reuters.

Mr Musk’s cost-cutting effort, named the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), did not respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson for OPM said the firings were in line with new government policy.

“The Trump administration is encouraging agencies to use the probationary period as it was intended: as a continuation of the job application process, not an entitlement for permanent employment,” the spokesperson said.

About 75,000 workers have signed up for the buyout

, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. That is equal to 3 per cent of the civilian workforce.

Mr Trump has tasked the South Africa-born Musk and his team at Doge, a temporary government agency, to undertake a massive downsizing of the 2.3 million-strong civilian federal workforce.

Mr Musk, the world’s richest person, has sent Doge members into at least 16 government agencies, where they have gained access to computer systems with sensitive personnel and financial information, and sent workers home.

Mr Gavin Kliger, a top employee in Doge, arrived at the IRS on Feb 14, people familiar with the matter said.

It was the first time a Musk aide had entered the IRS, a long-time target of Republicans who claim without evidence that the Biden administration weaponised the agency to target small businesses and middle-class Americans with unnecessary audits. REUTERS