Scores of firings have begun at federal agencies, with terminations of probationary employees underway at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration, federal employees and union sources told CNN on Wednesday.
The probationary employee firings mark the first from the Trump administration as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency aim to dramatically shrink the federal workforce. Until now, federal employees across all government agencies had only been placed on paid administrative leave.
The move came the same day as a federal judge allowed the administration’s deferred resignation program to proceed. About 77,000 employees have accepted the offer, which generally allows them to leave their jobs but be paid through the end of September.
A form letter sent to Department of Education employees, obtained by CNN, informing them of their termination stated: “The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.”
At the Department of Education, the firings have impacted employees across the agency from the general counsel’s office, to the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services that supports programs for children with disabilities, to the Federal Student Aid office, a union source told CNN.
The source said they have heard from dozens of employees who have been fired, but the full scope of the firings was not immediately clear.
The American Federation of Government Employees represents about 160 Department of Education employees that fall under the probationary status.
Letters similar to the Department of Education’s notice of termination were sent to Small Business Administration employees on Tuesday. The full scale of the firings at the agency was unclear as of Wednesday evening.
On Friday and Monday, probationary employees across the Small Business Administration had received an unsigned draft notice of employment termination, according to internal agency emails reviewed by CNN.
Later Monday, the agency sent another email advising employees that the draft notice “was sent in error - and as such, it is not currently in effect.” The email continued: “If you are in receipt of the initial notice, your employment has not been terminated as was erroneously indicated in the initial notice.” Notices of termination were then sent to probationary employees the next day, according to the union representing the employees.
Probationary employee firings were also expected at the US Energy Department Thursday evening, according to six people familiar with the situation. The people said the situation inside the department was fluid and were so far unclear how many total employees could face termination.
There are around 2,000 probationary employees at DOE, a person familiar with the agency’s staffing told CNN, but it was unclear how many could be affected by Thursday’s actions. CNN has reached out to DOE for comment.
The Energy Department’s acting general counsel had a Thursday meeting with heads of department offices and asked offices to compile lists of “mission-critical” probationary employees who could potentially be exempt from the layoffs, the person told CNN. But those lists hadn’t been finalized as of Thursday afternoon, the person said.
Probationary employees are defined as federal employees who have been with the department for less than a year, but a recent Office of Personnel Management memo also stated federal employees working for less than two years could also be considered probationary.
The dismissal of probationary workers has been in the works since Inauguration Day, when the acting head of OPM sent a memo to all agencies ordering them to compile a list of all their probationary workers and send it to the office. The January 20 memo noted that it is easier to terminate these employees.
However, OPM has advised agencies that they do not have to cull all probationary workers but should focus on those who have been underperforming. CBS News first reported the advisory.
“The Trump administration is encouraging agencies to use the probationary period as it was intended: as a continuation of the job application process, not an entitlement for permanent employment,” McLaurine Pinover, an OPM spokeswoman, said in a statement.
The firings are part of the administration’s multipronged effort to slash the size of the federal workforce. In addition to the deferred resignation offer, Trump began the planning process for widespread layoffs on Tuesday, when he signed an executive order telling agency leaders to start preparations for reductions in force, or RIFs.
The president is also hoping to push federal staffers who work fully remotely or telework on certain days by requiring them to return to the office full-time. Plus, he has targeted federal employees involved in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives and at the Education Department, the US Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
