Trump administration continues to gut federal workforce – US politics live

Major union and advocacy group condemn mass firing of probationary employees

The largest federal employee union as well as an advocacy group for the government workforce have condemned the Trump administration’s move to fire employees in their probationary period.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, accused the Trump administration of targeting workers new in their positions simply because they want to get rid of them:

This administration has abused the probationary period to conduct a politically driven mass firing spree, targeting employees not because of performance, but because they were hired before Trump took office.

These firings are not about poor performance -- there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants. 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.

And Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, said that the move could be crippling to workforce’s future functionality:

The Trump administration’s decision to fire civil servants who have been in service for under a year is yet another profoundly damaging action. With just over 7% of federal employees under age 30, our government needs a new generation of workers with the necessary skills to better serve the needs of our modern society. By terminating employees simply because they are the most vulnerable, the Trump administration has just thrown away our down payment on the future. Many of those who lost their jobs today were newer hires made in areas of great need for our government, including AI, cybersecurity, and technology. It is ultimately our country that will pay a heavy price for this arbitrary dismantling of the civil service.