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The federal work force is facing a sharp reduction after President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management ordered agencies to terminate most of an estimated 200,000 workers still in their probationary period. The cuts primarily target employees who have been in their roles for less than two years and do not enjoy as much job protection.
By this afternoon, the scope of the layoffs was becoming clearer. More than 1,000 workers were terminated at the Department of Veterans Affairs and about 1,000 more were let go at the Energy Department. The Consumer Financial Protection and the personnel office itself each laid off dozens more. The I.R.S. is expected to fire thousands of workers.
The layoffs are part of an effort by Trump and a team led by Elon Musk to reshape the federal government, which employs about 2.3 million workers. This week, the administration also cut spending on groups that helped Americans enroll in Obamacare and advanced diversity initiatives at the Education Department. During Trump’s first term, the education secretary had championed those efforts.
The cuts seem likely to continue: The agriculture secretary said today that she would welcome Musk’s team to help assess her department’s spending, which includes food stamps. “Are we really giving people a hand up, or is it a handout?” the secretary said.
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