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2025 United States federal mass layoffs

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Further information: Department of Government Efficiency

As of February 16, 2025, approximately 10,000 United States federal civil service workers have been laid off since the start of the second presidency of Donald Trump.[1][2] In a separate action, approximately 75,000 employees accepted the U.S. federal deferred resignation program.[1] Those impacted were probationary employees with less than one year of federal service, or two years if they were in the excepted service.[3] If a longtime government employee was promoted into the excepted service, they were considered probationary.[4] Most layoffs happened on the three days ending February 14, with columnist Michael Thomas Embrich of Rolling Stone terming it a "Valentine's Day Massacre."[5] The mass layoffs have been described as unfair, a purge,[6] and creating "risks for Americans and allies nationwide."[4] Lawsuits have been filed stating the layoffs are illegal. In some cases, the Trump administration subsequently rescinded layoff notifications.[7]

Alleged reasons for termination

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Depending on the agency, employees were given notices that read that either the agency "no longer has a need for your services,"[8] or it had "determined that you have failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment because your subject matter knowledge, skills and abilities do not meet the department’s current needs."[9] Another variant read "unfortunately, the agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the Agency's current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment at the Agency."[10]

Even though a cause was alleged poor performance, many employees had either received the maximum possible rating or had not had their performance reviewed.[10] Others had received "stellar performance evaluations" the previous year.[4]

United States Forest Service

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The Trump administration terminated approximately 3,400 U.S. Forest Service employees, constituting about 10% of its workforce. These layoffs primarily affected probationary employees with less than one or two years of service.[11] These firings have sparked concern over far-reaching environmental and economic impacts. Experts warn that reducing the number of USFS workers will severely impair wildfire prevention and forest restoration efforts, leaving critical tasks such as trail maintenance, watershed protection, and fuel reduction understaffed and potentially driving up homeowner insurance costs in vulnerable areas.[12] Concern was raised amongst political leaders in Colorado.[12] Workers at Yosemite National Park protested the firings.[13]

Veterans Administration

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The VA dismissed over 1,000 probationary employees with less than two years of service from different roles, including researchers focused on mental health, cancer treatments, addiction recovery, prosthetics, and burn pit exposure.[14] Lawmakers such as Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz have criticized the decision, expressing concerns over potential staffing shortages and its impact on veteran care.[14]

Rescission of some layoffs

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In some cases, the Trump administration subsequently realized that it had laid off people in critical positions and needed to reinstate them, as with Department of Agriculture employees engaged in efforts to combat the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus and National Nuclear Security Administration employees.[7] Since former federal employees no longer had access to their government email accounts, supervisors were sometimes uncertain how to contact them.[15] Hours after laying off 950 Indian Health Service employees on February 14, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, reinstated them.[16]

Lawsuits

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On February 13, 2025, several employee unions filed suit against the administration, alleging that the "mass firing of employees and the attempt to force resignations across the federal civilian workforce violate separation of powers principles." The unions include the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the National Federation of Federal Employees, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, and the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America.[17][18] Thousands of federal employees have joined class action suits challenging the layoffs.[19]

On February 20, District of Columbia district court judge Christopher R. Cooper rejected the unions' suit, ruling that federal law required them to bring their challenge to the Federal Labor Relations Authority rather than a federal court.[20][21] Elon Musk celebrated the judge's ruling by posting photos of himself carrying a chainsaw at CPAC to his X account,[22][23] claiming that he was helping people by shifting them "from low to negative productivity jobs in the government sector to high productivity roles in the commercial sector".[24] The president of the NTEU, Doreen Greenwald, said that "There is no doubt that the administration’s actions are an illegal end-run on Congress, which has the sole power to create and oversee federal agencies."[25]

Table of layoffs by agency

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Layoffs by agency
Agency Laid off Date Ref.
Department of Veterans Affairs >1,000 February 14 [3]
Department of Health and Human Services ≈5,200 February 14 [3]
1,300 February 14 [3]
Office of Personnel Management ≈70 February 13 [26]
Environmental Protection Agency 388[a] February 14 [27]
Department of the Interior ≈2,300 February 14 [28]
<85 February 14 [29]
≈800 February 14 [28]
≈1,000 February 14 [9]
Department of Agriculture
≈1,200 February 13 [citation needed]
≈3,400 February 13 [8]
Department of Energy 1,200–2,000 February 14 [30]
≈400 February 14 [8]
50–300 February 13 [31]
Department of Homeland Security
≈200 February 20 [32]
Department of the Treasury
≈7,000 February 20 [33]
The White House
≈50 February 14 [34]

Notes

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  1. ^ Originally stated as 497, but then corrected.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Garrison, Mike Snider and Joey. "Which agencies have been hit by federal layoffs? What to know about NPS, NIH, IRS, more". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  2. ^ "Donald Trump's crackdown on government employees: List of agencies firing federal workers". The Times of India. February 16, 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Picchi, Aimee (February 15, 2025). "Federal workers express shock, anger over mass firings: "You are not fit for continued employment"". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Dimolfetta, David (February 17, 2025). "Federal workers decry recent firings in Presidents' Day protest". Government Executive. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  5. ^ Embrich, Michael (February 14, 2025). "Trump and Musk's Valentine's Day Massacre of Military Veterans". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  6. ^ "Thousands of workers fired in federal purge". The Hill. Nexstar Media Group. February 14, 2025. ISSN 1521-1568. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Bohannon, Molly. "Trump Administration Reverses Layoffs At These Federal Agencies—After Accidentally Cutting Bird Flu, Nuclear Staff". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Ngo, Madeleine; Plumer, Brad (February 15, 2025). "Layoffs Expand at Federal Agencies, Part of Trump Purge". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Chen, David W.; Taft, Isabelle (February 15, 2025). "A National Park Guide Was Flying Home From a Work Trip. She Was Fired Midair". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived from the original on February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Goldman, Maya (February 18, 2025). "Federal workforce cuts slice through health agencies". Axios. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  11. ^ "Trump administration fires thousands of U.S. Forest and National Park Service workers - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Spencer, Ryan (February 18, 2025). "Colorado officials warn that firing of 3,400 U.S. Forest Service employees could impact state economy, wildfire safety". www.summitdaily.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  13. ^ Burke, Molly. "'Our parks are in danger': Yosemite workers protest firings, hiring freeze". SF Chronicle.
  14. ^ a b Mitchell, Ellen. "VA cutting 1,000 employees". The Hill.
  15. ^ Alexander, Peter; Marquez, Alexandra (February 15, 2025). "Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can't figure out how to reach them". NBC News. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  16. ^ Bennett-Begaye, Jourdan (February 18, 2025). "RFK Jr. rescinds Indian Health Service layoffs". ICT News. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  17. ^ Doubleday, Justin (February 13, 2025). "Lawsuit challenges Trump's order for 'large scale' RIFs". Federal News Network. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  18. ^ Colvin, Jill; Witte, Brian; Householder, Mike; Price, Michelle L. (February 14, 2025). "Anger, chaos and confusion take hold as federal workers face mass layoffs". AP News. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  19. ^ Katz, Eric (February 18, 2025). "Thousands join class actions as fired feds weigh options to challenge Trump's moves". Government Executive. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  20. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (February 20, 2025). "Judge rules Trump administration can move ahead on mass government layoffs". The Hill. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  21. ^ "Memorandum Opinion and Order, National Treasury Employees Union, et al. v Donald J. Trump, et al., Case No. 25-cv-420" (PDF). Court Listener. February 20, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  22. ^ Musk, Elon [@elonmusk] (February 20, 2025). "Shifting people from low to negative productivity jobs in the government sector to high productivity roles in the commercial sector will greatly improve the average standard of living" (Tweet). Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Musk gets big cheers — and a chainsaw — at CPAC". POLITICO. February 20, 2025. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
  24. ^ Musk, Elon (February 20, 2025). "Shifting people from low to negative productivity jobs in the government sector to high productivity roles in the commercial sector will greatly improve the average standard of living". X. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  25. ^ Queen, Jack; Wiessner, Daniel (February 20, 2025). "Trump can continue mass firings despite disruption and chaos, US judge rules". Reuters. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  26. ^ Heckman, Jory (February 13, 2025). "OPM advises agencies to fire probationary employees after 'deferred resignation' deadline". Federal News Network. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  27. ^ Bond, Shannon; Ludden, Jennifer; Hsu, Andrea; Wamsley, Laurel; Copley, Michael (February 14, 2025). "Layoffs accelerate at federal agencies with more cuts to come". NPR. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Trump administration lays off over 2,000 workers at Interior Department, sources say". Reuters. February 14, 2025. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  29. ^ Bennett-Begaye, Jourdan; Abourezk, Kevin (February 17, 2025). "Devastated and heartbroken': Federal layoffs have Haskell, SIPI wrestling with their future". Indian Country Today. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  30. ^ Gardner, Timothy (February 14, 2025). "Sweeping US energy department layoffs hit offices of loans, nuclear security, sources say". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  31. ^ Kim, Minho (February 16, 2025). "Trump Fired, Then Unfired, National Nuclear Security Administration Employees. What Were Their Jobs?". Reuters. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  32. ^ Garrison, Joey (February 20, 2025). "More than 200 TSA employees fired in Trump's push to cut federal workforce". USA Today. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  33. ^ Hussein, Fatima (February 20, 2025). "IRS plans to lay off 7,000 probationary workers beginning Thursday, AP source says". AP News. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  34. ^ Alms, Natalie (February 16, 2025). "Dozens of employees at U.S. DOGE Service dismissed". NextGov. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
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