SBA Employees Fired Prematurely on Friday Due to DOGE Order Triggering Firings
Federal workers who received incorrect termination notices last week were given valid ones on Tuesday, just hours following the president's executive order.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump’s signature in thick, black Sharpie ink was merely a formality.
Following the signing of an executive order on Tuesday that mandates federal agencies to collaborate with the Elon Musk-led DOGE Service to reduce their current workforce and limit future hiring, termination notices began arriving in the inboxes of several hundred probationary employees at the Small Business Administration (SBA).
These employees had initially received emails on Friday evening regarding their layoffs, according to two individuals familiar with the matter. Supervisors were not informed and were left trying to gain clarity about the situation.
By Monday afternoon, SBA officials clarified that the termination notices were sent in error. Those who received the unsigned draft letter were informed in an email that it was “sent in error … [and] not currently in effect.” However, this explanation did little to reassure SBA employees who found themselves in a state of uncertainty.
On Tuesday, shortly after Trump signed the executive order that expanded the authority and reach of Musk’s DOGE outfit, the same individuals received another email. This time, it was official, and whereas the previous draft specified that their terminations would take effect on February 21, the new correspondence indicated that their jobs were being terminated immediately.
“They seemingly jerked people around like this for the sake of EO choreography,” remarked one of the informed individuals.
A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment.
Earlier that day, Musk, a key figure in the ongoing government downsizing, spoke in the Oval Office alongside his young son, standing by the Resolute Desk where Trump had just signed the order. He fielded questions from reporters but neither Musk nor Trump provided details to substantiate their claims that DOGE had uncovered “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.”
Musk was questioned about his false assertions on X concerning $500 million in aid allocated for condoms for Gaza and acknowledged that “some of the things I say will be incorrect and should be corrected.” However, he continued to assert that there is public support for his initiatives.
“If the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk stated. “It does not match the will of the people, so it’s just something we’ve got to fix.”
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, criticized Trump’s executive order and the ongoing reductions within the federal workforce.
“Firing huge numbers of federal employees won't decrease the need for government services,” Kelley stated. “It will just make those services harder or impossible to access for everyday Americans, veterans, and seniors who depend on them.”
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
Following the signing of an executive order on Tuesday that mandates federal agencies to collaborate with the Elon Musk-led DOGE Service to reduce their current workforce and limit future hiring, termination notices began arriving in the inboxes of several hundred probationary employees at the Small Business Administration (SBA).
These employees had initially received emails on Friday evening regarding their layoffs, according to two individuals familiar with the matter. Supervisors were not informed and were left trying to gain clarity about the situation.
By Monday afternoon, SBA officials clarified that the termination notices were sent in error. Those who received the unsigned draft letter were informed in an email that it was “sent in error … [and] not currently in effect.” However, this explanation did little to reassure SBA employees who found themselves in a state of uncertainty.
On Tuesday, shortly after Trump signed the executive order that expanded the authority and reach of Musk’s DOGE outfit, the same individuals received another email. This time, it was official, and whereas the previous draft specified that their terminations would take effect on February 21, the new correspondence indicated that their jobs were being terminated immediately.
“They seemingly jerked people around like this for the sake of EO choreography,” remarked one of the informed individuals.
A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment.
Earlier that day, Musk, a key figure in the ongoing government downsizing, spoke in the Oval Office alongside his young son, standing by the Resolute Desk where Trump had just signed the order. He fielded questions from reporters but neither Musk nor Trump provided details to substantiate their claims that DOGE had uncovered “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.”
Musk was questioned about his false assertions on X concerning $500 million in aid allocated for condoms for Gaza and acknowledged that “some of the things I say will be incorrect and should be corrected.” However, he continued to assert that there is public support for his initiatives.
“If the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk stated. “It does not match the will of the people, so it’s just something we’ve got to fix.”
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, criticized Trump’s executive order and the ongoing reductions within the federal workforce.
“Firing huge numbers of federal employees won't decrease the need for government services,” Kelley stated. “It will just make those services harder or impossible to access for everyday Americans, veterans, and seniors who depend on them.”
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
