People walk past the U.S. Department of Energy building in Washington, D.C.
Federal workers are receiving layoff notices as the government moves forward with significant downsizing plans.
Although the complete extent of the layoffs remains unclear, initial cuts appear to focus on those recently hired and still on probation, according to multiple federal officials who have requested anonymity due to the precarious nature of the situation.
The layoffs are impacting a diverse range of federal employees, including those involved in education, small business grants, and nuclear weapons management.
Probationary periods typically last one to two years, with approximately 220,000 federal employees having less than one year of service as of March 2024. Another 288,000 have between one and two years of service.
An executive order signed on Tuesday instructs federal agencies to prepare for extensive workforce reductions. There is a push from the administration aimed at curbing what is described as excessive government spending.
Federal employee compensation represents about 3% of the federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year.
The Department of Energy is reportedly dismissing probationary employees, with some being terminated without formal notice or severance, having been notified verbally instead.
In a related move, mass layoffs of probationary employees also occurred within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which manages the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Approximately 300 positions are expected to be eliminated after the agency was denied a national security exemption.
Inside sources have indicated that the Office of Personnel Management suggested that layoff notices include “performance reasons,” but this language was omitted from the final communications.
Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs has released over 1,000 employees, stating this action will result in annual savings of more than $98 million, redirected toward improving services for veterans.
Most VA employees were not affected as they were in critical roles or covered under collective bargaining agreements.
The layoffs are not limited to the Department of Energy. Probationary staff at various agencies, including the General Services Administration and the Department of Education, have also received termination notifications, sometimes in confusing and chaotic circumstances.
Employees at the Office of Personnel Management were informed via a Microsoft Teams call that their layoffs were due to their failure to accept a deferred resignation offer from the administration.
Union leaders have expressed concerns that these probationary layoffs reflect a politically motivated agenda rather than legitimate performance issues, stating this undermines the future workforce of federal agencies.
The overall process has raised alarms about the potential loss of skilled personnel critical for the effective functioning of government services.
As agencies face increasing pressure to adjust their workforce, many employees across federal departments continue to grapple with uncertainty regarding their employment status.
