Federal employees confront actual consequences of Trump's 'purges' in shock
The Trump administration may encounter political repercussions from voters in both Republican and Democratic states as a range of services abruptly disappears.
TroibNews 
Americans may soon experience the fallout from the Trump administration's choice to eliminate thousands of government jobs, impacting areas such as public safety, health benefits, and essential services that many rely on.
Trump's decision to reduce thousands of positions across various agencies is creating significant gaps in the government, with layoffs affecting the Education Department, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others.
At the U.S. Forest Service, for example, about 3,400 employees are expected to be cut, which could hinder wildfire prevention efforts as the West faces a severe fire season that has already devastated millions of acres in California.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experienced significant cuts, with nearly half of its 2,800 probationary employees laid off and around 400 accepting a "buy-out" offer. This means the agency, responsible for safeguarding Americans against disease outbreaks and other health risks, will lose about 10% of its workforce. This follows the termination of more than 2,000 probationary employees from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.
“Morale is tanked,” said a forest service official familiar with the situation, who, along with many others who spoke to PMG, requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “The public will see it this summer when campgrounds are shut down, trails aren’t maintained and bathrooms aren’t cleaned.”
Should the significant downsizing of the federal government lead to immediate adverse effects for the American populace, the Trump administration might encounter political repercussions from voters in both Republican and Democratic states, many of whom may suddenly find critical services — including access to government websites and various benefits — compromised.
The Office of Personnel Management, functioning as the federal government’s human resources department, has been managed by associates of Elon Musk for several weeks. This agency also laid off staff and issued a “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation notice, which allowed federal employees to resign and still receive pay until September.
A lawsuit from union officials representing federal workers temporarily halted this program, but a federal judge later ruled that it could proceed since the union officials lacked standing. Subsequently, the Trump administration announced that no additional federal employees could opt into the program, leading to a resumption of layoffs for probationary federal workers.
“We definitely cut more than probationary employees,” a source with knowledge of the Office of Personnel Management firings shared. “We cut the entire communications department” and career employees too, the source added. In total, as many as 200,000 civil service workers who were in their probationary period may face termination notices.
The layoffs occurred so rapidly that some Forest Service employees were informed of their job losses prior to any paperwork being prepared.
As Arizona and New Mexico prepare for their fire seasons, Forest Service employees have typically coordinated staff assistance from California during this period. However, due to the recent layoffs and hiring freeze, this collaboration is no longer feasible. As a result, crucial work — including mapping fire spread, preparing safe areas for prescribed burns, and deploying non-fire personnel to combat blazes — may not be conducted.
Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, stated that the layoffs at the Forest Service will have “devastating” consequences for wildfire mitigation efforts. “Fire safety projects are already frozen and being canceled all over the West,” he emphasized. “We’re on track to lose an entire season of critical work, and this will only compound the problem. Who would even take a job with USFS right now?”
Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency have focused on laying off probationary employees across agencies, as they have fewer protections and are easier to dismiss. Approximately 2,300 probationary employees were terminated from the Interior Department, which manages over 500 million acres of federal land, according to sources who shared information with PMG.
Around 780 were dismissed at the National Park Service, as mentioned by a source who was briefed on the administration’s discussions with park superintendents. If there are not enough probationary employees in place by Monday, the NPS may have to cancel tours and potentially close visitor centers, this source warned.
Cuts of this magnitude will not just affect park-goers or those who suddenly lose their jobs, but could also jeopardize Trump's agenda to increase energy production on public lands without adequate staffing to consistently process oil and gas drilling permits, according to Steve Feldgus, who served as the Interior’s principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management under the Biden administration.
“It’d have a huge impact,” Feldgus declared regarding the cuts. “If you want to expand oil and gas onshore, you need land-use planners, realty specialists, environmental scientists, engineers, and more — and that’s just onshore. What they’re doing will hurt a lot of people and not help them achieve their policy goals.”
An Interior employee indicated that he was informed that up to 800 staff members might be terminated at the agency’s Bureau of Land Management, which oversees oil, gas, and other energy production on federal land. He noted that the list of probationary employees slated for dismissal included names of individuals who had already completed their probation period.
“So for sure there will be accidental firings,” this employee remarked. “I think it’s just causing chaos and anxiety when we are merely trying to deliver on this Administration’s priorities.”
At the Department of Energy, the cuts could hinder the management of a vast network of nuclear weapons storage and disposal sites, as well as initiatives aimed at combating nuclear terrorism globally. Reports indicate that 325 employees from the National Nuclear Safety Administration, a critical division of the Energy Department that oversees America’s nuclear deterrent, were terminated on a recent Thursday. While some of these layoffs were partially reversed the following day as agency leadership attempted to retain as many staff as possible, it remains uncertain whether all affected employees will be reinstated permanently.
Daryl Kimball, who leads the Arms Control Association, raised concerns that the cuts might lead to real health and safety threats to communities surrounding nuclear facilities and waste sites, potentially jeopardizing the contractors responsible for environmental remediation and waste management.
“We’re going to have less oversight and control over occupational health and environmental safety at these facilities,” Kimball expressed. “This is going to affect communities and workers in red states, blue states, and purple states.”
At the General Services Administration, rumors circulated that layoff notices for probationary workers were expected to be emailed out since Wednesday afternoon. However, those notices did not reach employees until late Thursday night or early Friday morning, as recounted by six staffers who communicated with PMG.
The extent of the layoffs remains unclear. A GSA manager and supervisor acknowledged that while many affected employees are probationary, they suspect that over 100 of the agency’s approximately 12,000 staff would be impacted. “It’s like a tornado hit, and we are still assessing damage,” the manager remarked.
“GSA has been and remains committed to ensuring a respectful and dignified process for our agency personnel during this transformation,” a spokesperson for GSA stated, declining to provide specifics on the number of staff impacted or what programs were eliminated.
The cuts at GSA may severely disrupt the essential services relied upon by millions of Americans, including the Login.gov system, which serves as the central login platform for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The agency also manages much of the federal government’s real estate, acquisition, and technical services, and reductions in these areas could have a cascading effect throughout the government.
“With fewer people dedicated to this work, it will hurt our ability to do that,” the manager cautioned. “Staff are going to be deployed to multiple projects, workstreams might have to stop.”
In an internal memo received by PMG shortly after the initial wave of layoffs, acting administrator Stephen Ehikian expressed gratitude to “departing probationary employees” and others who accepted the buyout program for their “hard work” and “service to this nation,” yet did not explicitly address the layoffs that unsettled workers earlier that morning.
“GSA is setting the example in achieving the administration’s vision to reduce federal spending and become a more flexible and streamlined government that delivers better value for the American people,” Ehikian remarked.
The rapid firings across various agencies have intensified anxiety and disrupted productivity among federal employees who remain employed after the mass layoffs.
“Imagine you’ve got an office full of people who just watched their co-workers get fired without notice,” one federal employee shared with PMG. “They’re terrified, waiting for the phone to ring for somebody to tell them that they’re next to the chopping block.”
Holly Otterbein, Natalie Fertig, Kelsey Tamborrino, and Brakkton Booker contributed to this report.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
Trump's decision to reduce thousands of positions across various agencies is creating significant gaps in the government, with layoffs affecting the Education Department, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others.
At the U.S. Forest Service, for example, about 3,400 employees are expected to be cut, which could hinder wildfire prevention efforts as the West faces a severe fire season that has already devastated millions of acres in California.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experienced significant cuts, with nearly half of its 2,800 probationary employees laid off and around 400 accepting a "buy-out" offer. This means the agency, responsible for safeguarding Americans against disease outbreaks and other health risks, will lose about 10% of its workforce. This follows the termination of more than 2,000 probationary employees from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.
“Morale is tanked,” said a forest service official familiar with the situation, who, along with many others who spoke to PMG, requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “The public will see it this summer when campgrounds are shut down, trails aren’t maintained and bathrooms aren’t cleaned.”
Should the significant downsizing of the federal government lead to immediate adverse effects for the American populace, the Trump administration might encounter political repercussions from voters in both Republican and Democratic states, many of whom may suddenly find critical services — including access to government websites and various benefits — compromised.
The Office of Personnel Management, functioning as the federal government’s human resources department, has been managed by associates of Elon Musk for several weeks. This agency also laid off staff and issued a “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation notice, which allowed federal employees to resign and still receive pay until September.
A lawsuit from union officials representing federal workers temporarily halted this program, but a federal judge later ruled that it could proceed since the union officials lacked standing. Subsequently, the Trump administration announced that no additional federal employees could opt into the program, leading to a resumption of layoffs for probationary federal workers.
“We definitely cut more than probationary employees,” a source with knowledge of the Office of Personnel Management firings shared. “We cut the entire communications department” and career employees too, the source added. In total, as many as 200,000 civil service workers who were in their probationary period may face termination notices.
The layoffs occurred so rapidly that some Forest Service employees were informed of their job losses prior to any paperwork being prepared.
As Arizona and New Mexico prepare for their fire seasons, Forest Service employees have typically coordinated staff assistance from California during this period. However, due to the recent layoffs and hiring freeze, this collaboration is no longer feasible. As a result, crucial work — including mapping fire spread, preparing safe areas for prescribed burns, and deploying non-fire personnel to combat blazes — may not be conducted.
Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, stated that the layoffs at the Forest Service will have “devastating” consequences for wildfire mitigation efforts. “Fire safety projects are already frozen and being canceled all over the West,” he emphasized. “We’re on track to lose an entire season of critical work, and this will only compound the problem. Who would even take a job with USFS right now?”
Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency have focused on laying off probationary employees across agencies, as they have fewer protections and are easier to dismiss. Approximately 2,300 probationary employees were terminated from the Interior Department, which manages over 500 million acres of federal land, according to sources who shared information with PMG.
Around 780 were dismissed at the National Park Service, as mentioned by a source who was briefed on the administration’s discussions with park superintendents. If there are not enough probationary employees in place by Monday, the NPS may have to cancel tours and potentially close visitor centers, this source warned.
Cuts of this magnitude will not just affect park-goers or those who suddenly lose their jobs, but could also jeopardize Trump's agenda to increase energy production on public lands without adequate staffing to consistently process oil and gas drilling permits, according to Steve Feldgus, who served as the Interior’s principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management under the Biden administration.
“It’d have a huge impact,” Feldgus declared regarding the cuts. “If you want to expand oil and gas onshore, you need land-use planners, realty specialists, environmental scientists, engineers, and more — and that’s just onshore. What they’re doing will hurt a lot of people and not help them achieve their policy goals.”
An Interior employee indicated that he was informed that up to 800 staff members might be terminated at the agency’s Bureau of Land Management, which oversees oil, gas, and other energy production on federal land. He noted that the list of probationary employees slated for dismissal included names of individuals who had already completed their probation period.
“So for sure there will be accidental firings,” this employee remarked. “I think it’s just causing chaos and anxiety when we are merely trying to deliver on this Administration’s priorities.”
At the Department of Energy, the cuts could hinder the management of a vast network of nuclear weapons storage and disposal sites, as well as initiatives aimed at combating nuclear terrorism globally. Reports indicate that 325 employees from the National Nuclear Safety Administration, a critical division of the Energy Department that oversees America’s nuclear deterrent, were terminated on a recent Thursday. While some of these layoffs were partially reversed the following day as agency leadership attempted to retain as many staff as possible, it remains uncertain whether all affected employees will be reinstated permanently.
Daryl Kimball, who leads the Arms Control Association, raised concerns that the cuts might lead to real health and safety threats to communities surrounding nuclear facilities and waste sites, potentially jeopardizing the contractors responsible for environmental remediation and waste management.
“We’re going to have less oversight and control over occupational health and environmental safety at these facilities,” Kimball expressed. “This is going to affect communities and workers in red states, blue states, and purple states.”
At the General Services Administration, rumors circulated that layoff notices for probationary workers were expected to be emailed out since Wednesday afternoon. However, those notices did not reach employees until late Thursday night or early Friday morning, as recounted by six staffers who communicated with PMG.
The extent of the layoffs remains unclear. A GSA manager and supervisor acknowledged that while many affected employees are probationary, they suspect that over 100 of the agency’s approximately 12,000 staff would be impacted. “It’s like a tornado hit, and we are still assessing damage,” the manager remarked.
“GSA has been and remains committed to ensuring a respectful and dignified process for our agency personnel during this transformation,” a spokesperson for GSA stated, declining to provide specifics on the number of staff impacted or what programs were eliminated.
The cuts at GSA may severely disrupt the essential services relied upon by millions of Americans, including the Login.gov system, which serves as the central login platform for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The agency also manages much of the federal government’s real estate, acquisition, and technical services, and reductions in these areas could have a cascading effect throughout the government.
“With fewer people dedicated to this work, it will hurt our ability to do that,” the manager cautioned. “Staff are going to be deployed to multiple projects, workstreams might have to stop.”
In an internal memo received by PMG shortly after the initial wave of layoffs, acting administrator Stephen Ehikian expressed gratitude to “departing probationary employees” and others who accepted the buyout program for their “hard work” and “service to this nation,” yet did not explicitly address the layoffs that unsettled workers earlier that morning.
“GSA is setting the example in achieving the administration’s vision to reduce federal spending and become a more flexible and streamlined government that delivers better value for the American people,” Ehikian remarked.
The rapid firings across various agencies have intensified anxiety and disrupted productivity among federal employees who remain employed after the mass layoffs.
“Imagine you’ve got an office full of people who just watched their co-workers get fired without notice,” one federal employee shared with PMG. “They’re terrified, waiting for the phone to ring for somebody to tell them that they’re next to the chopping block.”
Holly Otterbein, Natalie Fertig, Kelsey Tamborrino, and Brakkton Booker contributed to this report.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
