By Hannah Parry
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump's administration has fired around 200,000 federal employees across at least nine agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education.
The layoffs include between 1,200 and 2,000 employees at the Department of Energy (DOE), including staff from the nuclear security administration and the loans office, two sources familiar with the decision told Reuters.
Democratic lawmakers confirmed to the outlet that the layoffs also impact workers at national laboratories, hydroelectric plants and Cold War-era nuclear sites.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which serves as the human resources department for the federal government, gave the order to lay off probationary workers, who have not gained the protections that many other federal workers have, the AP reported.
The Department of Veterans affairs announced on Thursday that it had dismissed more than 1,000 employees, including probationary employees who had worked at the agency for less than two years.
Employees at other agencies, including the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration, also reportedly received termination notices.
The layoffs also extended to OPM: Dozens of probationary workers were told they were being dismissed on a Thursday afternoon group call, the AP reported, citing an unnamed source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The terminations came a day after a judge allowed the Trump administration to proceed with a deferred resignation program that encouraged employees to resign and be paid through September.
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Feb 14, 2025 at 04:54 PM EST
SNAP benefits: Republican reveals plan for government program
House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson clarified on Friday that he does not expect reductions to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to appear in the fiscal blueprint being floated by House Republican leadership.
Speaking at a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) event, Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, stressed that the focus will remain on strengthening the program through improved integrity and accountability rather than cutting benefits.
The future of SNAP, America's largest nutrition assistance program, is central to ongoing political debates. With millions of Americans relying on the program, particularly low-income families, any proposed changes to SNAP could have far-reaching consequences. The potential for cuts could disrupt the Farm Bill negotiations and lead to political gridlock, with Republican and Democratic factions holding divergent views.
NAP accounts for 68 percent of USDA nutrition assistance spending, providing food aid to roughly 42 million Americans. It plays a vital role in combating hunger, particularly for children, who make up a significant portion of the program's beneficiaries.
Read in full from Amanda Castro on Newsweek.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:37 PM EST
IRS reportedly cutting thousands of jobs amid tax season
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The Internal Revenue Service will lay off thousands of probationary employees, from next week, the New York Times reports.
The mass layoffs come at one of the busiest times for the department as millions of Americans file their returns ahead of the April 15 deadline.
The IRS cuts are part of an order from the Office of Personnel Management across the majority of federal government, telling agencies to fire probationary employees-workers who have less federal protections than others because they have worked for the government for less than a year.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:25 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: General Services Administration (GSA)
General Services Administration (GSA): The GSA, responsible for managing federal properties and procurement, recently began terminating recent hires on Thursday.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:19 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: Small Business Administration (SBA)
Small Business Administration (SBA): Dozens of probationary employees at the SBA received premature termination notices last week just hours after Trump signed an executive order requiring government agencies to work with Musk's DOGE service. Those terminations were rescinded, but on Tuesday, the notices were reissued, this time stating that the terminations were effective immediately.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:18 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: Department of Education
Department of Education: Termination notices have been sent to employees within their probationary period. USA Today reports more than 60 probationary employees have been let go.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:17 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): The CFPB has seen significant terminations, including those beyond probationary employees. The agency recently fired 73 probationary employees before a new round. According to NPR, close to 100 term employees (those with set-length contracts) were let go as part of a mass layoff initiative.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:11 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Office of Personnel Management (OPM): The Federal News Network reports approximately 70 probationary employees were let go on Thursday.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:10 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Forest Service**:** Approximately 3,400 employees, accounting for about 10 percent of the Forest Service's workforce, have been laid off. While public safety roles such as firefighters were exempted, critical positions related to wildfire prevention, road and trail maintenance, timber production and watershed restoration were affected, according to Politico.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:09 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: Department of Veterans Affairs
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Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): The VA has terminated more than 1,000 employees who were in their probationary period. These layoffs were focused on "non-bargaining unit probationary employees" with less than a year in a competitive service appointment or less than two years in an excepted service appointment. The VA stated "more than 43,000 probationary employees" in mission-critical roles were exempt from the dismissals.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:08 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: Department of Energy
Department of Energy (DOE): The DOE recently terminated between 1,200 and 2,000 employees, including staff from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Loan Programs Office at the DOE.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:05 PM EST
Federal agencies that have started layoffs: Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): Reuters reports the USDA recently terminated probationary employees at two research agencies: the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service. The exact number of affected employees is unclear, but the terminations occurred overnight on Thursday.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:03 PM EST
List of federal agencies that have begun mass layoffs
In a sweeping move to downsize the federal workforce, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to significantly reduce the federal workforce, with oversight from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk. This has commenced mass layoffs targeting probationary employees across various federal agencies. This initiative marks a significant shift in federal employment practices, aiming to reduce government spending and increase operational efficiency.
Newsweek has emailed the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. General Services Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for comment.
In a series of decisive actions aimed at downsizing the federal workforce, Trump initiated mass firings targeting probationary employees across multiple federal agencies. Shortly after his inauguration in January, he signed an executive order reinstating a federal hiring freeze and reintroduced the "Schedule F" classification, making it easier to hire and fire employees based on performance and alignment with the administration's objectives.
To encourage voluntary departures, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) launched the "Fork in the Road" buyout program, offering incentives for employees to resign. However, less than 4 percent of the federal workforce accepted the buyouts, leading the administration to proceed with involuntary terminations, particularly focusing on probationary employees.
Read in full from Robert Thorpe on Newsweek.
Feb 14, 2025 at 04:00 PM EST
Many federal employees given just 30 minutes to pack up and leave amid layoffs
Several federal employees were given just 30 minutes to gather up their belongings and vacate federal offices after being laid off, the Washington Post reports.
Other government workers were told they would be formally fired by emails. Those emails never arrived.
Around 200,000 workers, mostly probationary employees, have been laid off in the Trump administration's mass firings this week.
Today, around 2,300 employees have been fired from the US interior department.
Feb 14, 2025 at 03:30 PM EST
Trump’s new agriculture secretary ‘welcomes DOGE’ assessing her department
Donald Trump's newly appointed agriculture secretary, Brooke L. Rollins, said that she "would welcome DOGE," assessing her department for potential cuts.
She said that she was happy for Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to review the Department of Agriculture's programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides benefits to low-income families.
Feb 14, 2025 at 03:09 PM EST
Elon Musk calls for government to ‘delete entire agencies’
Elon Musk urged the elimination of entire U.S. federal agencies on Thursday, as he continued to advocate for drastic spending cuts and a major restructuring of priorities under President Donald Trump.
Speaking via video call at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Musk framed his vision as a bold effort to cut waste and redefine America's global role, while also weighing in on artificial intelligence and foreign policy.
"We really have here rule of the bureaucracy as opposed to rule of the people—democracy," Musk said, wearing a black T-shirt that read "Tech Support." He joked that he was wearing his "official uniform" as the "White House's tech support," referencing his profile on X, the social media platform he owns.
"I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave a lot of them behind," Musk said. "If we don't remove the roots of the weed, then it's easy for the weed to grow back."
Musk singled out USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, questioning their effectiveness.
"How much democracy have they achieved lately?" Musk asked of the latter. He also echoed Trump's approach to foreign policy, stating the U.S. is "less interested in interfering with the affairs of other countries."
"Basically, America should mind its own business, rather than push for regime change all over the place," Musk said, a sentiment that resonated with his audience in the UAE.
Feb 14, 2025 at 03:06 PM EST
Union boss accuses Trump administration of prioritizing ‘cronyism over competence’
Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, has accused the Trump administration of prioritizing "cronyism over competence" in firing thousands of federal employees.
"These firings are not about poor performance—there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants," Kelley said in a statement. "They are about power. They are about gutting the federal government, silencing workers, and forcing agencies into submission to a radical agenda that prioritizes cronyism over competence."
He added: "Agencies have spent years recruiting and developing the next generation of public servants. By firing them en masse, this administration is throwing away the very talent that agencies need to function effectively in the years ahead.
"AFGE will fight these firings every step of the way. We will stand with every impacted employee, pursue every legal challenge available, and hold this administration accountable for its reckless actions. Federal employees are not disposable, and we will not allow the government to treat them as such."
Feb 14, 2025 at 03:02 PM EST
Donald Trump’s mass layoffs spark union anger
Union leaders representing federal workers have condemned the Trump administration's order for agencies to lay off almost all probationary employees.
Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the administration "abused" the probation status of workers "to conduct a politically driven mass firing spree, targeting employees not because of performance, but because they were hired before Trump took office."
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
The Trump administration's order could affect hundreds of thousands of workers, the Associated Press reported.
Read in full from Khaleda Rahman on Newsweek.
Feb 14, 2025 at 02:59 PM EST
Trump fires hundreds of staff overseeing nuclear weapons: Report
President Donald Trump's administration has laid off between 1,200 and 2,000 employees at the Department of Energy (DOE), including staff from the nuclear security administration and the loans office, two sources familiar with the decision told Reuters.
Democratic lawmakers confirmed to the outlet that the layoffs also impact workers at national laboratories, hydroelectric plants and Cold War-era nuclear sites.
The DOE employs approximately 14,000 federal workers and oversees 95,000 contractors across various energy and security sectors.
According to two sources, the layoffs followed the arrival of three representatives from billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the agency.
One source revealed that approximately 325 employees have been dismissed from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons fleet and works to secure radiological materials worldwide.
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