Trump attacks government agencies

Trump fired and pushed some 200,000 federal workers across more than a dozen agencies. But now many agencies are scrambling to rehire people, a challenge as many have no intention of returning to Trump’s government. Many of those fired were probationary employees, a classification not tied to job performance. These job cuts have impacted workers nationwide, with more than 80% of the 2.4 million civilian federal workforce live outside the Washington, D.C. area. 

By late spring, a rough count shows that federal agencies have lost some 135,000 to firings and voluntary resignation, with another 150,000 in planned reductions.

The firings have caused confusion, with some employees only discovering their terminations when their building badges no longer worked, and others reporting discrepancies in their layoff documentation.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed, alleging that the firings were illegal, with courts ruling that the administration falsely cited "performance" issues and disregarded legal procedures. And judges have ordered Trump to halt or reverse the firing. 

Both the New York Times and CNN are keeping track of Trump’s attacks on the public servants who provide vital tools and resources to the American people.

Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Firing of Employees

  • A federal judge blocked Trump’s firing of federal employees calling that unconstitutional  as it ignores Congress’s co-equal authority. The order applies to 20 federal agencies, including the Departments of State, Treasury and Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Government Efficiency. The judge added the State Department to the list in June, stopping 1,900 people from being fired. 

  • The order explicitly pauses the implementation of any existing reduction-in-force (RIF) notices, delaying while her order is in effect final separation for any employees who have received such notices. The order also pauses the issuance of any future RIF notices and the placement of additional employees on administrative leave.

Trump scramble to rehire some fired federal employees

  • Trump administrators are trying to rehire thousands of people they fired as well as experienced senior staffers opted for a voluntary exit, at the same time that his administration rolls out a second resignation offer. The Washington Post reports “Thousands staff are returning in fits and starts as a conflicting patchwork of court decisions overturn some of Trump’s large-scale firings, especially his Valentine’s Day dismissal of all probationary workers, those with one or two years of government service and fewer job protections. A federal judge in April ordered the president to reinstate probationary workers dismissed from 20 federal agencies, although a few days later the Supreme Court — in a different case — halted another judge’s order to reinstate a smaller group.

  • The agencies that have scrambled to rehire people include: The IRS, the CDC, the National Security Administration and the FDA. After dismantling USAID, Trump’s State Department has tried hiring them back for other work.

  • But thousands of federal employees are having a hard time finding new jobs as alternatives like teaching or research are also having funds taken away from them as Trump cancels contracts. 

Trump institutes political loyalty tests for federal workers 

  • Trump is requiring federal job applicants to describe their allegiance to administration policy in an essay. For the first time, political appointees are directly involved in most federal hiring. And Trump is mandating political education training for senior agency officials. 

Key Firings at Agencies and Departments 

The following are complete or planned firings 

  • USAID - 100% fired, about 10,000 people

  • Institute of Museum and Library Services - 100% fired, 70 people

  • National Endowment for the Humanities - 78% fired, 140 people

  • HUD Community Planning and Development -  83% fired, 780 people

  • Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties - 99% fired, 150 people

  • Department of Education - 50% fired,  2,100 people

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - 25% fired, 2,150 people

  • NOAA - 19% fired, 1,300 people

  • Food and Drug Administration - 17% fired,  3,589 people

  • Veterans Affairs - 15% fired,  70,000 people

  • Social Security Administration -  17% fired,  10,000 people

  • National Institutes of Health -  11% fired,  2,300 people

  • Department of Energy - 10% fired, 1,800 people

  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -  64% fired,  1,100 people

  • Health and Human Services -  24%,  20,000 people

  • EPA -  10% being fired, 1,700 people

  • Housing and Urban Development - 14% fired, 1,200 people

  • Small Business Administration - 46%, 3,000 people

  • Voice of America - 99% fired, 1,300 people

You can find more agencies at  New York Times and CNN. 

For a longer list go here: https://www.cnn.com/politics/tracking-federal-workforce-firings-dg/index.html