President Trump's administration is targeting thousands of federal employees across various agencies, including the IRS, NASA, and the Department of Homeland Security, in a sweeping effort to reshape the US civil service. The firings are part of a broader initiative led by Elon Musk, appointed to head the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Critics argue that the mass layoffs are politically motivated and lack transparency.
President Donald Trump 's administration launched a sweeping attack on the U.S. civil service on Tuesday, targeting bank regulators, rocket scientists, and tax enforcers in an unprecedented effort to fire thousands of federal employees. As tax-filing season commenced, senior officials at the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) identified 7,500 employees for dismissal, with the possibility of more layoffs to come, according to an informed source.
This wave of firings is part of a larger overhaul of the federal government spearheaded by Elon Musk, appointed by President Trump to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The White House has remained tight-lipped about the total number of planned dismissals and has not released any official figures regarding the ongoing mass layoffs. Information regarding the cuts has primarily emerged from employees of federal agencies. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), responsible for overseeing banks, confirmed the dismissal of an unspecified number of recent hires, as revealed by an email obtained by Reuters. These cuts could exacerbate existing staffing issues at the 6,000-person agency, where over one-third of the workforce is eligible for retirement. Approximately 1,000 new hires, including rocket scientists, at NASA were also expected to be laid off on Tuesday, with further reductions anticipated, according to two individuals familiar with the agency's plans. 'People are scared and hesitant to speak out against any dissent or disagreement,' stated an anonymous employee at the 18,000-person agency. Layoffs were also anticipated at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which handles flood insurance and disaster response, as well as its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to an administration official and a second source, the Trump administration plans to dismiss hundreds of senior DHS employees this week. These planned firings, initially reported by NBC News, are reportedly targeted towards individuals perceived as not aligned with Trump's agenda, the sources revealed.The employees affected by this reshuffling across dozens of agencies include those reviewing Musk's brain implant company, Neuralink, and others monitoring the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, which has infected millions of chickens and cattle this year. Musk's team has claimed to have saved $55 billion so far, a relatively small fraction of the annual $6.7 trillion federal budget. The DOGE website has begun providing more details about government contracts canceled following widespread complaints regarding the lack of transparency in its operations. The cost-cutting initiative has primarily focused on probationary employees hired within the past year who lack full employment protections. At the IRS, this includes 7,500 individuals involved in tax enforcement and compliance, but excludes those deemed essential for the April tax filing season, according to a source familiar with the matter. The tax-collecting agency could potentially face further workforce reductions, the source added.Republicans had previously opposed an IRS staff expansion undertaken by Democratic President Joe Biden, which independent budget analysts asserted would boost tax collections and help bridge the persistent U.S. budget deficit. RESIGNING IN PROTEST Amidst this upheaval, Trump is attempting to exert even greater control over the Justice Department, an agency traditionally considered independent of White House influence. Last week, several department officials resigned after refusing a directive from a Trump appointee to drop a corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Another prominent prosecutor, Denise Cheung, resigned on Tuesday after declining to investigate a government contract awarded during Biden's tenure. The acting head of the Social Security Administration, Michelle King, resigned over the weekend after Musk's team requested access to a vast database containing personal and financial information at the agency, which manages retirement and other safety-net programs, according to a source familiar with the matter.With opposition Democrats lacking power in Congress, critics have turned to the courts to impede the downsizing efforts, encountering mixed success thus far. A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday declined to prevent Musk's team from accessing student-loan records at the Department of Education, stating that a student group had failed to demonstrate a likelihood of misuse of sensitive financial data. Another judge is expected to rule on Tuesday regarding a request by Democratic attorneys general from 13 states to block Musk's personnel from reviewing confidential records at several other agencies
GOVERNMENT LAYOFFS DONALD TRUMP ELON MUSK DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY IRS NASA DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CIVIL SERVICE POLITICAL OVERHAUL
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