Despite Court Setbacks, Trump Set to Initiate Another Round of Layoffs
The Trump administration showed no indication on Friday of altering its strategy for a second round of large-scale layoffs and budget reductions throughout the U.S. government, following two federal court decisions that mandated the reinstatement of thousands of employees.
TroibNews 
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration showed no indication on Friday of straying from its strategy to implement another round of mass firings and budget reductions across the federal government, despite two federal court rulings mandating the reinstatement of thousands of employees.
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged on Friday that errors occurred during the downsizing initiative, which has progressed rapidly since Trump took office in January.
Federal agencies were required to submit extensive reorganization plans by Thursday as part of Trump's initiative to dramatically reshape the federal bureaucracy, a task that has been primarily assigned to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Thus far, DOGE’s efforts have identified potential job cuts exceeding 100,000 within the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, along with the freezing of foreign aid and the cancellation of numerous programs and contracts.
At times, DOGE's methodology has been inconsistent, leading to the dismissal and subsequent recall of crucial federal employees, including those responsible for managing the nation's nuclear stockpile and scientists working on bird flu.
Vance: Musk's DOGE has made mistakes at times
Vance commented on Friday that mistakes have been made in the operations led by Musk's DOGE while also defending the majority of federal workers as diligent individuals.
"Elon himself has said that sometimes you do something, you make a mistake, and then you undo the mistake. I'm accepting of mistakes," Vance stated in an interview with NBC News. “I also think you have to quickly correct those mistakes. But I'm also very aware of the fact that there are a lot of good people who work in the government — a lot of people who are doing a very good job. And we want to try to preserve as much of what works in government as possible, while eliminating what doesn't work."
Court challenges
Recent rulings from federal courts in California and Maryland ordered certain agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary employees who were let go in recent weeks, representing a significant legal setback for the administration.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco determined that probationary workers, typically those employed for less than two years, should be reinstated at several departments, including Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury.
Following Alsup's decision, U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore directed the administration to reinstate tens of thousands of federal workers.
Bredar concurred with 20 Democratic-led states that 18 agencies had improperly terminated probationary employees en masse in recent weeks, violating regulations that govern the layoff process for federal workers.
The White House, labeling the judges as partisan activists, pledged to contest the rulings. The administration has already appealed the ruling from California and requested the judge to suspend the implementation of his decision pending the appeal's outcome.
On February 11, with Musk alongside him, Trump signed an executive order instructing all agencies to "promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force," a legal term commonly abbreviated as RIF to describe mass layoffs.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged on Friday that errors occurred during the downsizing initiative, which has progressed rapidly since Trump took office in January.
Federal agencies were required to submit extensive reorganization plans by Thursday as part of Trump's initiative to dramatically reshape the federal bureaucracy, a task that has been primarily assigned to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Thus far, DOGE’s efforts have identified potential job cuts exceeding 100,000 within the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, along with the freezing of foreign aid and the cancellation of numerous programs and contracts.
At times, DOGE's methodology has been inconsistent, leading to the dismissal and subsequent recall of crucial federal employees, including those responsible for managing the nation's nuclear stockpile and scientists working on bird flu.
Vance: Musk's DOGE has made mistakes at times
Vance commented on Friday that mistakes have been made in the operations led by Musk's DOGE while also defending the majority of federal workers as diligent individuals.
"Elon himself has said that sometimes you do something, you make a mistake, and then you undo the mistake. I'm accepting of mistakes," Vance stated in an interview with NBC News. “I also think you have to quickly correct those mistakes. But I'm also very aware of the fact that there are a lot of good people who work in the government — a lot of people who are doing a very good job. And we want to try to preserve as much of what works in government as possible, while eliminating what doesn't work."
Court challenges
Recent rulings from federal courts in California and Maryland ordered certain agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary employees who were let go in recent weeks, representing a significant legal setback for the administration.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco determined that probationary workers, typically those employed for less than two years, should be reinstated at several departments, including Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury.
Following Alsup's decision, U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore directed the administration to reinstate tens of thousands of federal workers.
Bredar concurred with 20 Democratic-led states that 18 agencies had improperly terminated probationary employees en masse in recent weeks, violating regulations that govern the layoff process for federal workers.
The White House, labeling the judges as partisan activists, pledged to contest the rulings. The administration has already appealed the ruling from California and requested the judge to suspend the implementation of his decision pending the appeal's outcome.
On February 11, with Musk alongside him, Trump signed an executive order instructing all agencies to "promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force," a legal term commonly abbreviated as RIF to describe mass layoffs.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
